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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cell — in biology
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bat — the animal
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ground — a position
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bark — to shout
  22. shower — rain
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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