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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. object — to protest
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. perch — the fish
  6. club — for golf
  7. rule — a law
  8. club — for dancing
  9. hand — help
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rule — government
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. object — a thing
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. object — an aim
  21. fall — to drop
  22. club — a group
  23. hand — in cards
  24. perch — for a bird

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