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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mine — for digging
  3. club — for golf
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rest — a break
  8. stand — to bear
  9. hand — help
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. clip — a video
  16. hand — in cards
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rest — what's left
  19. club — a group
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. clip — to cut
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hand — part of the body

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