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: bark · cold · cabinet · mate · row · nail · calf · wake

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. row — a line
  7. bark — to shout
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mate — a friend
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wake — a trail
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. mate — to breed
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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