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: cold · bound · tube · pound · row · ball · mine · track

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. track — a song
  5. cold — an illness
  6. row — a line
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bound — certain
  12. track — a path
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ball — a great time
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cold — not warm
  20. track — to keep track
  21. row — to paddle
  22. tube — a container
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mine — an explosive

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