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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mate — to breed
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — child
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. ground — a position
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ground — the earth
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ground — crushed
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bark — to shout

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