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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — a subject
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. game — a match
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. vault — a safe
  10. scale — size or range
  11. field — farmland
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. land — a country
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. perch — the fish
  20. land — ground
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. field — for sport
  24. land — to come down

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