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: capital · dip · lash · arm · mine · band · straw · pound

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. band — a ring
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pound — a weight
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. dip — to sink
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — money
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mine — for digging
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. straw — a straw man

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