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: band · pound · rock · row · calf · rush · straw · swing

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rock — music
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. row — to paddle
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. band — a ring
  17. row — a line
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. swing — music
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. swing — to play on
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. band — a music group
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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