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: content · mark · patient · bark · deal · game · fork · pound

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. game — a match
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mark — a trace
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. fork — in a road
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pound — a weight
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. content — happy
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. content — the amount
  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