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: swing · pound · row · pass · bear · file · roll · bark

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. file — a document
  9. roll — a list
  10. swing — music
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. row — a line
  13. swing — to play on
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. swing — in golf
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bark — to shout
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pass — to spend time

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