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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cold — not warm
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rock — music
  6. spring — of water
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bark — to shout
  14. can — a tin
  15. track — a song
  16. can — a tin
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. track — a path
  20. bear — the animal
  21. can — to be able to
  22. spring — the season
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rock — to move gently

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