ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rest — a break
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ball — a dance
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mark — a trace
  15. suit — to fit
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bark — to shout
  23. suit — clothes
  24. mark — a grade

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com