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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. net — after costs
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bound — tied together
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pit — a hole
  8. tube — a container
  9. net — for catching
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pit — in a race
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. net — in sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. shower — rain
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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