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: rush · court · bark · dip · club · patient · present · straw

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. present — a gift
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. club — for dancing
  9. dip — to sink
  10. present — the time now
  11. court — for sport
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. club — for golf
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bark — to shout
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. club — a group
  18. court — of law
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. present — there
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. court — of a king

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