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: mark · cabinet · deal · bark · rest · kid · field · tear

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rest — what's left
  6. kid — to tease
  7. field — a subject
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bark — to shout
  17. field — farmland
  18. kid — child
  19. tear — from crying
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. field — for sport
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. rest — a break
  24. cabinet — ministers

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