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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. land — ground
  3. perch — the fish
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. land — to come down
  9. present — there
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. land — a country
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bat — the animal
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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