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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mark — a trace
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. ground — crushed
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. staff — employees
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. cell — in biology
  15. row — a line
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. row — to paddle
  18. roll — a cake
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. roll — a list
  23. pound — a weight
  24. mark — a grade

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