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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. tear — to rip
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. spring — of water
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lean — thin
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. tear — from crying
  13. game — a match
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. lean — to bend
  18. spring — a coil
  19. drill — the tool
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. game — wild animals
  23. spring — the season
  24. tear — from crying

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