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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. spring — a coil
  3. can — a tin
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. bark — to shout
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. cap — a lid
  10. net — for catching
  11. can — a tin
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cap — a hat
  22. kick — in football
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spring — the season

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