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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. staff — a stick
  11. vault — a safe
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. track — a song
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. prune — to trim
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. sharp — clever
  18. staff — employees
  19. track — a path
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bark — to shout

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