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: mark · cold · spell · drill · bark · bay · mouse · bound

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mark — a trace
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bound — tied together
  23. drill — army training
  24. bark — to shout

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