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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bark — to shout
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. roll — a list
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wound — an injury

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