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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. game — a match
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. charge — in control
  5. shower — rain
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. shower — to wash
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. charge — electricity
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. charge — a price
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pound — a weight
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fork — in a road
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bound — tied together
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bound — certain
  24. hand — help

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