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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — for sport
  8. dip — to sink
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chip — for betting
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. court — of a king
  19. date — the fruit
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. court — of law
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. leaves — lets stay

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