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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. track — a song
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mine — for digging
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. track — a path
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. squash — to crush
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. pound — a weight
  20. track — to keep track
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. safe — a strongbox

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