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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pound — a weight
  3. present — a gift
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bound — tied together
  6. present — the time now
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mate — a friend
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mate — to breed
  14. season — of the year
  15. present — there
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bound — certain
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mate — a partner
  22. shower — rain
  23. season — in sport
  24. ground — a position

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