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 116 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. club — for golf
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. dip — to sink
  7. content — happy
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. club — a group
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rock — music
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. content — the amount
  24. plane — a tool

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