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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — of law
  4. stand — to bear
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. land — ground
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. court — for sport
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. rush — hurry
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bat — the animal
  20. land — to come down
  21. court — of a king
  22. land — a country
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. pound — a weight

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