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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. plane — a tool
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. net — after costs
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ball — a dance
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. shower — rain
  16. tear — to rip
  17. net — for catching
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. tear — from crying
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. net — in sport

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