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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. charge — a price
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. scale — size or range
  7. game — a match
  8. net — for catching
  9. charge — in control
  10. land — ground
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. scale — in music
  13. land — a country
  14. craft — boats
  15. field — farmland
  16. perch — the fish
  17. craft — a skill
  18. field — a subject
  19. game — wild animals
  20. land — to come down
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. field — for sport
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. charge — electricity

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