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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. vault — a safe
  8. capital — a city
  9. bark — to shout
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. capital — money
  14. root — the cause
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. root — of a word
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wound — an injury
  22. root — of a plant
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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