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: ball · bulb · pound · snap · object · wound · pitcher · rest

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. object — a thing
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. object — an aim
  18. snap — to click
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. wound — an injury

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