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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mate — a partner
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ball — a dance
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pound — a weight
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mate — to breed
  12. chair — a leader
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bound — certain
  17. clip — for paper
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. clip — a video

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