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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. current — happening now
  3. present — a gift
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. present — there
  7. stock — goods
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. current — electric
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. present — the time now
  12. spring — the season
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. current — of water
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — shares
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. perch — the fish
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pound — a weight

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