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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wake — a trail
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chip — for betting
  6. roll — a list
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. roll — a cake
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. branch — a division
  12. hand — help
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. firm — steady
  20. pound — a weight
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. dip — to sink
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. hand — part of the body

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