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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tube — the underground
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. swing — music
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. chair — a leader
  15. game — a match
  16. swing — to play on
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. swing — in golf

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