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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. roll — a list
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wind — moving air
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. squash — the sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wave — of the sea

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