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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. drill — army training
  11. face — to confront
  12. key — in music
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. drill — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. drill — a practice
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pitcher — a jug

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