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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. face — to confront
  3. net — in sport
  4. track — a song
  5. object — to protest
  6. net — after costs
  7. face — to point toward
  8. staff — employees
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. face — part of the head
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. net — for catching
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. track — a path
  17. game — wild animals
  18. object — an aim
  19. staff — employees
  20. track — to keep track
  21. object — a thing
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. staff — a stick

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