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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wake — a trail
  6. season — in sport
  7. field — for sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. spell — magic
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. spell — letters
  17. field — a subject
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spell — a short time
  20. game — a match
  21. rest — a break
  22. field — farmland
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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