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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. last — to go on
  4. mark — a grade
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — the fish
  8. game — a match
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — finally
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. object — a thing
  18. last — final
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. mark — a trace
  22. present — the time now
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mine — an explosive

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