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 · face · net · cabinet · bark · deal · mate · shower

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — a partner
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bore — to tire
  7. face — to point toward
  8. net — in sport
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. face — to confront
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bark — to shout
  20. net — after costs
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bore — to drill
  23. shower — rain
  24. bore — gave birth

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