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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fine — high quality
  7. sharp — clever
  8. net — after costs
  9. fine — all right
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. net — for catching
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. current — of water
  14. pound — a weight
  15. current — happening now
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. current — electric
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cell — in biology
  24. net — in sport

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