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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cold — not warm
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cold — an illness
  12. tube — a container
  13. sharp — clever
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. key — the most important part
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bear — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. key — for a lock
  22. tube — the underground
  23. land — to come down
  24. key — in music

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