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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bass — the fish
  9. snap — to click
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pound — a weight
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kid — child
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mug — a face
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bass — low music

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