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: kid · spring · march · hide · fan · bark · tube · suit

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kid — to tease
  4. tube — a container
  5. bark — to shout
  6. suit — clothes
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. suit — to fit
  10. tube — the underground
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. march — the month
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. spring — the season
  15. kid — child
  16. spring — of water
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. march — the month
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. march — music
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fan — to cool the air

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