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: cabinet · track · degree · ball · hide · bark · chest · band

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. chest — a box
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. degree — from a university
  5. track — to keep track
  6. ball — a dance
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a path
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. track — a song
  13. degree — an amount
  14. band — a ring
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. band — a music group
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chest — of your body

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