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 116 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: season · sharp · game · mate · spring · bore · bark · hand

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bore — to tire
  3. game — a match
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bark — to shout
  13. game — wild animals
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. spring — the season
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mate — a partner
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bore — to drill
  22. spring — a coil
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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