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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bore — to tire
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. track — a song
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bass — low music
  19. pit — a hole
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bore — to drill
  22. track — a path
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lash — an eyelash

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