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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. spell — magic
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. saw — the tool
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. current — happening now
  14. sharp — clever
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. drill — the tool
  24. spell — letters

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