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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spell — letters
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. present — there
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pop — music
  8. spell — magic
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. spell — a short time
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. present — the time now
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. snap — to click
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. deal — to handle

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