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 124 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pound — a weight
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. squash — the sport
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. band — a music group
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fork — in a road
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pound — for dogs

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