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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rash — a series
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ground — crushed
  8. charge — in control
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. land — to come down
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rash — hasty
  20. perch — the fish
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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