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 116 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: cold · pit · rest · row · perch · rush · bark · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rest — a break
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. craft — a skill
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bark — to shout
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cold — not warm
  21. row — a line
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rush — hurry
  24. perch — the fish

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