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: craft · chest · hand · chip · pop · march · bark · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. march — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. march — the month
  15. pop — music
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. hand — help
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. rash — a series
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. march — the month
  23. chip — for betting
  24. hand — in cards

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