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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. file — a line of people
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. file — a document
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pound — a weight
  15. perch — the fish
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. current — happening now
  21. cell — a phone
  22. file — a tool
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pound — to hit hard

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