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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. object — an aim
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. current — electric
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. object — a thing
  12. perch — the fish
  13. row — a line
  14. current — happening now
  15. object — to protest
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. row — to paddle
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. kick — in football
  24. current — of water

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