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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bore — to drill
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. foot — a measure
  11. shower — rain
  12. clip — a video
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. kick — in football
  16. clip — to cut
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — part of the head
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. snap — to click
  21. clip — for paper
  22. face — to point toward
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bore — to tire

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