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: staff · bowl · bore · net · mine · mate · bark · last

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mate — a partner
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mate — to breed
  9. last — finally
  10. staff — employees
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mine — for digging
  14. net — in sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. net — after costs
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. staff — employees

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