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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pound — a weight
  19. cell — in biology
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cell — a phone
  22. toast — bread
  23. wound — an injury
  24. date — on the calendar

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