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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wound — an injury
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stock — shares
  15. key — in music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. track — a path
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. track — a song

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