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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. track — a path
  4. cell — a phone
  5. object — an aim
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. object — to protest
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. current — of water
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tube — a container
  15. hand — help
  16. current — electric
  17. kid — to tease
  18. object — a thing
  19. tube — the underground
  20. current — happening now
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cell — in biology

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