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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fine — all right
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pop — soda
  6. charge — electricity
  7. kid — child
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fine — high quality
  10. perch — the fish
  11. charge — a price
  12. ground — the earth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. track — a path
  15. ground — a position
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. track — a song
  18. charge — in control
  19. pop — to visit
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pop — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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