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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. race — a contest
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bear — the animal
  9. race — humankind
  10. court — for sport
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. perch — the fish
  15. court — of law
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. race — the arms race
  18. court — of a king

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