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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bank — for money
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. ground — a position
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — for digging
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bank — of a river
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. band — a music group
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cold — not warm
  24. band — a ring

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