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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pop — to visit
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fall — the season
  10. clip — for paper
  11. plane — a tool
  12. shower — rain
  13. pop — music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. field — for sport
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pop — soda
  18. shower — to wash
  19. fall — to drop
  20. field — a subject
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. field — farmland
  24. fall — to drop

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