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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. tube — a container
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. scale — in music
  7. game — a match
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wake — a trail
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. perch — for a bird

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