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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. row — a line
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. band — a music group
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. band — a ring
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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