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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. file — a document
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. ground — a position
  6. perch — the fish
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. ground — the earth
  11. file — a tool
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pitch — completely
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. ground — crushed
  18. row — a line
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. perch — for a bird

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