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 120 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: bay · suit · kid · hide · pitch · plane · bark · file

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. suit — to fit
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. kid — child
  9. suit — in cards
  10. kid — to tease
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bark — to shout
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. suit — clothes
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. pitch — completely
  24. file — a line of people

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