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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. present — the time now
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. present — a gift
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. spring — the season
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mate — a partner
  12. present — there
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mate — a friend
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spring — of water
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. date — the fruit
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mate — to breed
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. kick — with a leg

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