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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. can — a tin
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rash — a series
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a hole
  8. ground — a position
  9. mine — for digging
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. dip — to sink
  13. ground — crushed
  14. swing — in golf
  15. can — a tin
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rash — hasty
  18. swing — music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. swing — to play on
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. dip — to dunk

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