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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. clip — for paper
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pound — a weight
  7. clip — to cut
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. spell — magic
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. spell — letters
  16. lean — to bend
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. lean — thin
  22. spell — a short time
  23. clip — a video
  24. wave — of the sea

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