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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. hand — help
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fall — to drop
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. race — humankind
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fall — the season
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. hand — in cards
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fall — to drop
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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