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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stock — goods
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stem — to come from
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stock — shares
  11. vault — a safe
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. row — to paddle
  15. content — happy
  16. bark — to shout
  17. content — the amount
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. stem — of a plant

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