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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. face — to confront
  22. rule — government
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wax — for sculpting

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