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: game · saw · file · cabinet · wound · bark · calf · rule

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rule — government
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. file — a tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rule — a law
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wound — an injury
  20. game — wild animals
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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