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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. game — a match
  3. land — ground
  4. bulb — for light
  5. track — a song
  6. land — to come down
  7. track — to keep track
  8. land — a country
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. track — a path
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. drill — army training
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bulb — for light
  24. game — wild animals

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