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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. swing — in golf
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. last — to go on
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. swing — music
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. row — a line
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. swing — to play on

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