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: pitch · hand · craft · bear · row · rest · bark · chest

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. craft — a skill
  4. hand — help
  5. chest — a box
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rest — a break
  12. pitch — completely
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. hand — in cards
  20. row — a line
  21. rest — what's left
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. hand — part of the body

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