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: file · spell · row · bass · hide · bark · degree · ruler

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. file — a tool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bass — the fish
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bass — low music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. degree — an amount
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. spell — magic
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. file — a document
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bark — to shout
  24. row — to paddle

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