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: content · last · pop · plane · coach · ground · file · pound

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. ground — crushed
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. last — finally
  5. plane — a tool
  6. content — happy
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. content — the amount
  10. file — a line of people
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. last — final
  14. ground — the earth
  15. file — a document
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pop — soda
  19. ground — a position
  20. pound — a weight
  21. file — a tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pop — music

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