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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. spell — a short time
  7. plane — a tool
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bat — the animal
  10. spell — magic
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. spell — letters
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — a line
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. scale — in music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — a song
  24. scale — size or range

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