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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. hand — in cards
  6. kid — to tease
  7. hand — help
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. can — a tin
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bark — to shout
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. can — a tin
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. can — to be able to
  23. kid — child
  24. bat — in an idiom

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