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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bass — low music
  3. band — a music group
  4. rush — hurry
  5. field — a subject
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. band — a ring
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. pound — a weight
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. tube — a container
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bass — the fish
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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