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: lean · wound · face · roll · bat · tube · fork · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. roll — a list
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. fork — in a road
  11. face — to confront
  12. wound — an injury
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — a weight
  17. tube — a container
  18. face — part of the head
  19. roll — a cake
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bat — the animal

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