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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fine — all right
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. perch — the fish
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wound — an injury
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pound — a weight
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. press — to push
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. press — a publisher

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