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

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. perch — the fish
  3. content — the amount
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. cold — not warm
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pop — soda
  10. game — wild animals
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. track — a song
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. content — happy
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pop — music
  21. rock — music
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. game — a match
  24. pop — to visit

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