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: swing · degree · mate · leaves · net · file · bark · shower

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. swing — music
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. shower — rain
  7. swing — in golf
  8. degree — an amount
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. degree — from a university
  11. file — a tool
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mate — a partner
  14. file — a document
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bark — to shout
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. net — in sport
  20. file — a line of people
  21. net — for catching
  22. swing — to play on
  23. net — after costs
  24. degree — temperature

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