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: safe · chest · land · rush · scale · pitcher · plane · bark

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chest — of your body
  3. land — to come down
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — a country
  8. scale — in music
  9. chest — a box
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. land — ground
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rush — hurry
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. safe — a strongbox

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