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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. field — farmland
  6. pitch — completely
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wind — moving air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. chip — for betting
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. field — a subject
  19. plane — a tool
  20. field — for sport
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bark — of a tree

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