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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. field — farmland
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rush — hurry
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. scale — in music
  11. field — a subject
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fine — high quality
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fine — all right
  22. field — for sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. degree — from a university

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