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: scale · coach · bay · pound · tube · kid · root · current

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. root — of a plant
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pound — a weight
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tube — a container
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — electric
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. scale — size or range
  12. root — of a word
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. current — happening now
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. kid — child
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. root — the cause
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. current — of water
  23. scale — in music
  24. tube — in a tire

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