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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. land — ground
  4. net — in sport
  5. land — to come down
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. net — after costs
  8. bound — certain
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. date — the fruit
  13. net — for catching
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pound — a weight
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bound — obliged
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bound — tied together
  23. land — a country
  24. pound — for dogs

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