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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. row — a line
  8. fine — high quality
  9. present — there
  10. firm — steady
  11. land — to come down
  12. cell — a phone
  13. staff — a stick
  14. firm — a company
  15. present — the time now
  16. firm — decided
  17. row — to paddle
  18. present — a gift
  19. staff — employees
  20. land — ground
  21. staff — employees
  22. land — a country
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cell — in biology

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