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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pound — a weight
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. field — a subject
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — music
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — from a university
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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