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: mate · mouse · shower · branch · suit · land · kid · pound

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. branch — a division
  4. shower — to wash
  5. kid — to tease
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pound — a weight
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. suit — clothes
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. land — a country
  14. suit — in cards
  15. mate — to breed
  16. kid — child
  17. land — ground
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. shower — rain
  20. land — to come down
  21. mate — a friend
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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