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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rash — hasty
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. club — a group
  7. rash — a series
  8. cell — in biology
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. club — for golf
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. ground — a position
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. perch — the fish
  15. cell — a phone
  16. net — after costs
  17. club — for dancing
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cell — in a prison

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