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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. spring — of water
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bound — obliged
  11. spring — a coil
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spring — the season
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bound — tied together
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. row — to paddle
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. temple — side of the head

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