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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. pitch — completely
  13. spring — of water
  14. wax — to grow
  15. present — the time now
  16. pound — a weight
  17. row — a line
  18. spring — the season
  19. lean — thin
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. row — to paddle
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. spring — a coil
  24. game — a match

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