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: shower · squash · pound · content · bark · cue · cell · bore

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cue — a hint
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. shower — rain
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. content — the amount
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cue — a signal
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pound — a weight
  21. content — happy
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cell — a phone
  24. squash — the vegetable

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