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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pound — a weight
  6. court — of a king
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bound — certain
  12. deal — to handle
  13. tear — from crying
  14. court — of law
  15. bound — tied together
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. hand — in cards
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ruler — for measuring

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