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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. band — a ring
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. band — a music group
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bound — tied together
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stand — to bear
  23. chest — of your body
  24. shower — rain

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