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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rest — a break
  6. clip — a video
  7. stand — to bear
  8. row — a line
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. land — a country
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. land — ground
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. ball — a dance
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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