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: pound · tear · cell · scale · saw · toast · mate · hand

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. hand — help
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cell — a phone
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. toast — bread
  10. mate — a partner
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cell — in biology
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. tear — from crying
  15. saw — the tool
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mate — a friend
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. tear — from crying
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. hand — in cards
  24. scale — in music

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