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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. prune — to trim
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pop — to visit
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pop — music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. scale — in music
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pop — soda

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