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: tear · kick · kid · pound · ground · mouse · game · coach

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pound — a weight
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. kid — child
  5. game — a match
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kick — in football
  11. kid — to tease
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. tear — to rip
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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