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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. vault — a safe
  5. saw — the tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. hand — help
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pound — to hit hard

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