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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. pound — a weight
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ground — crushed
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. court — of a king
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ground — a position
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. drill — army training
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bound — certain
  23. court — for sport
  24. bound — tied together

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