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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. pound — a weight
  3. spring — a coil
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pop — soda
  7. clip — a video
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. ground — the earth
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — the season
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. spring — of water
  19. foot — a measure
  20. pop — music
  21. ground — a position
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. clip — for paper

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