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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pound — a weight
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wound — an injury
  6. band — a ring
  7. sharp — clever
  8. game — a match
  9. ground — the earth
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mark — a grade
  12. staff — employees
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. staff — employees
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. band — a music group
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mark — a trace
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. pound — for dogs

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