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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spring — the season
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. spring — a coil
  5. charge — a price
  6. spring — of water
  7. kick — in football
  8. land — a country
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. game — wild animals
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. land — ground
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. land — to come down
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. perch — the fish
  23. game — a match
  24. prune — to trim

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