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: wound · fall · fork · dip · season · land · squash · pound

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. dip — to sink
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. land — to come down
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wound — an injury
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. land — a country
  16. season — in sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. season — of the year
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — ground

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