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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. land — a country
  3. bark — to shout
  4. staff — employees
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — in cards
  8. land — ground
  9. field — for sport
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wound — an injury
  14. can — a tin
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wound — an injury
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. field — a subject
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. hand — help
  23. field — farmland
  24. land — to come down

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