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: pound · race · fan · row · clip · face · spell · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. clip — to cut
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. row — to paddle
  8. face — to confront
  9. pound — a weight
  10. spell — letters
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. squash — to crush
  13. clip — for paper
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. clip — a video
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. spell — a short time
  21. row — a line
  22. race — humankind
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spell — magic

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