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 · chair · racket · pound · shower · wound · fork · land

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. mate — a friend
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. land — ground
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — to wash
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. chair — a leader
  14. shower — rain
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — a partner
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mate — to breed

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