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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. kid — child
  2. chip — to eat
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. file — a document
  6. field — a subject
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. field — for sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bear — the animal
  15. roll — a cake
  16. perch — the fish
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. file — a tool
  20. chip — for betting
  21. roll — a list
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bear — to put up with
  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