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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tube — a container
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tube — the underground
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rest — a break
  15. perch — the fish
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. row — a line
  24. wake — before a funeral

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