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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. spell — magic
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pound — a weight
  11. clip — a video
  12. rest — a break
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rest — what's left
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fall — to drop
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fall — the season
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. clip — to cut
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pitch — completely

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