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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ground — the earth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chest — a box
  6. drill — a practice
  7. chest — of your body
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. plane — a tool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. season — of the year
  14. ground — crushed
  15. drill — army training
  16. ground — a position
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. chest — of your body
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. can — a tin
  21. pound — a weight
  22. can — a tin
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. season — in sport

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