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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. game — wild animals
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pound — a weight
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. game — a match

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