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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pop — to visit
  4. field — for sport
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. scale — in music
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. file — a tool
  11. pop — music
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. file — a document
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pop — soda
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. chair — a leader
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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