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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. file — a tool
  8. foot — a measure
  9. file — a document
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mate — a partner
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mate — a friend
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. file — a line of people
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wound — an injury
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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