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: rest · rash · wound · tube · scale · cold · spell · pound

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wound — an injury
  4. scale — in music
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rash — hasty
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tube — a container
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. rest — a break
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. tube — the underground
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rest — what's left

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