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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a document
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — to paddle
  8. ground — a position
  9. lie — to recline
  10. file — a tool
  11. ground — crushed
  12. file — a line of people
  13. row — a line
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ground — the earth
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pound — a weight
  18. perch — the fish
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. fan — a supporter

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