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 120 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: pound · ground · sharp · bark · fork · chest · perch · lean

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — a box
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. sharp — clever
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ground — the earth
  17. lean — thin
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ground — a position
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fork — a garden tool

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