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: pitch · pound · shower · wind · game · band · spell · safe

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. band — a music group
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wind — moving air
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. game — wild animals
  8. shower — rain
  9. game — a match
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pound — a weight
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. band — a ring
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wind — moving air
  20. spell — letters
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. spell — a short time
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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