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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stock — shares
  5. bark — to shout
  6. spring — a coil
  7. current — happening now
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. spring — of water
  14. stock — goods
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cold — not warm
  17. kick — in football
  18. current — electric
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. ground — a position
  22. current — of water
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. spring — the season

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