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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mark — a grade
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. game — a match
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chest — of your 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