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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · pit · bark · band · bear · lie · pitcher · craft

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. craft — boats
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. band — a ring
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lie — an untruth

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