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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. perch — the fish
  4. last — final
  5. tube — the underground
  6. craft — boats
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. tube — a container
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. drill — army training
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. drill — a practice
  16. land — to come down
  17. drill — the tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. land — a country
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cap — of ice
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. perch — for a bird

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