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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. mark — a grade
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. band — a music group
  4. rock — music
  5. court — of a king
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. court — of law
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. rock — a stone
  12. band — a ring
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. swing — to play on
  16. land — a country
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. court — for sport
  20. dip — to sink
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pound — a weight
  23. dip — a sauce
  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