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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. tube — the underground
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chip — for betting
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pound — a weight
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bound — tied together
  20. tube — a container
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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