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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. clip — a video
  3. present — a gift
  4. court — of a king
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. court — of law
  14. pound — a weight
  15. row — a line
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. clip — to cut
  18. present — there
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — for sport
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bound — certain
  23. present — the time now
  24. bound — obliged

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