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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. present — a gift
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to click
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. kick — in football
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. present — there
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. row — a line
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. row — to paddle
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. present — the time now

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