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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. game — a match
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. row — a line
  6. field — farmland
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mark — a trace
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. lie — to recline
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. game — wild animals
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mark — a grade
  23. row — a quarrel
  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