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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. last — to go on
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pound — a weight
  5. spell — magic
  6. march — music
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. march — the month
  10. last — final
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. march — the month
  16. roll — a list
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. spell — letters
  20. bark — to shout
  21. roll — a cake
  22. spell — a short time
  23. kid — child
  24. last — finally

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