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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. date — the fruit
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — an injury
  7. content — the amount
  8. bear — the animal
  9. content — happy
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. net — in sport
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. roll — a cake
  15. foot — a measure
  16. roll — a list
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wound — an injury
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. net — for catching
  24. roll — on a roll

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