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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. band — a music group
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. band — a ring
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. ball — a dance
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ball — a round shape

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