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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. face — to point toward
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wound — an injury
  16. net — after costs
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. face — to confront
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. temple — a place of worship

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