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: deal · bark · fork · net · mouse · lean · cold · rush

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. net — for catching
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. net — after costs
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. cold — an illness
  9. net — in sport
  10. fork — in a road
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. lean — thin
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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