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 120 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: pound · kick · mine · nail · stand · mark · pop · cold

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pop — soda
  11. mine — for digging
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. kick — in football
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. nail — for a hammer

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