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: bore · mate · cold · wake · chest · dip · bark · vault

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — a friend
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. dip — to sink
  8. vault — a safe
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cold — an illness
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mate — a partner
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bore — to tire
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  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