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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. march — the month
  10. staff — employees
  11. march — music
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. file — a tool
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. file — a document
  20. track — a song
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. file — a line of people
  24. temple — side of the head

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