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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rush — hurry
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. field — farmland
  6. file — a document
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. file — a tool
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. field — a subject
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. field — for sport
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cell — a phone
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rash — a series
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rash — hasty
  24. branch — a division

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