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

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spring — of water
  4. charge — in control
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. track — a path
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. track — a song
  14. spring — the season
  15. track — to keep track
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pit — a hole
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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