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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. can — a tin
  4. firm — steady
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. can — a tin
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — to keep track
  9. lie — to recline
  10. fall — to drop
  11. track — a song
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fall — the season
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. firm — decided
  17. can — to be able to
  18. track — a path
  19. firm — a company
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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