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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. net — in sport
  3. pound — a weight
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pop — to visit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. net — for catching
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. bat — the animal
  22. net — after costs
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pound — to hit hard

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