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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mine — for digging
  9. toast — bread
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lie — to recline
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. degree — an amount
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. game — a match
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mine — belonging to me

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