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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. chest — of your body
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. spell — a short time
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bore — to tire
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bore — to drill
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. chest — of your body
  22. court — of law
  23. chest — a box
  24. degree — temperature

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