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 the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lie — to recline
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. content — the amount
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. content — happy
  9. field — a subject
  10. ball — a great time
  11. field — farmland
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. press — a publisher
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ball — a dance
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. press — to push
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pound — a weight

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