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 116 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. march — music
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. can — a tin
  8. march — the month
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. tear — from crying
  16. scale — in music
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pound — a weight
  19. march — the month
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. fine — high quality
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fine — all right

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