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: pound · net · march · bulb · kick · bat · drill · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. march — the month
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. drill — army training
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. march — music
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. march — the month
  14. net — for catching
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pound — a weight
  17. drill — the tool
  18. net — in sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. net — after costs
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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