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: mouse · ground · bank · pound · sharp · date · fan · chest

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bank — of a river
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bank — for money
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bank — for money
  14. ground — a position
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. chest — a box
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. date — the fruit

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