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: wound · race · march · pound · row · bear · face · mug

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. race — humankind
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wound — an injury
  14. march — the month
  15. bear — the animal
  16. row — a line
  17. face — to confront
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — a cup
  20. march — music
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. race — a contest

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