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: pass · club · squash · spell · clip · cold · pound · patient

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. club — a group
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. spell — letters
  10. club — for golf
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pound — a weight
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spell — magic
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cold — an illness
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. squash — to crush
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cold — not warm
  24. clip — for paper

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