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: wind · game · perch · nail · saw · dip · cue · spring

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spring — the season
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cue — a signal
  9. game — a match
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wind — moving air
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. spring — a coil
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. perch — the fish
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. spring — of water
  21. dip — to sink
  22. wind — moving air
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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