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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: squash · pound · game · fork · fine · drill · hand · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fine — all right
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — help
  21. drill — army training
  22. pound — a weight
  23. fork — in a road
  24. hand — part of the body

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