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: racket · march · tear · wind · net · tube · pound · game

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. march — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pound — a weight
  8. net — in sport
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. game — wild animals
  11. tube — the underground
  12. march — the month
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. tear — to rip
  15. net — for catching
  16. tube — a container
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — after costs
  21. wind — moving air
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. game — a match
  24. march — the month

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