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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cold — an illness
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rest — what's left
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rest — a break
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cold — not warm
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. prune — to trim
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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