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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wind — moving air
  11. dip — to sink
  12. game — a match
  13. wind — moving air
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. can — to be able to
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. can — a tin
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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