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: content · ground · pound · sharp · hide · bound · season · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bound — obliged
  6. season — in sport
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bound — certain
  11. content — the amount
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ground — the earth
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ground — a position
  18. content — happy
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. season — of the year
  22. ground — crushed
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pound — for dogs

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