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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · kid · pound · racket · ruler · field · hide · pop

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pop — soda
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. kid — child
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kid — to tease
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pop — music
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pound — a weight
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pop — to visit
  22. field — farmland
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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