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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rock — music
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — the month
  6. ball — a great time
  7. march — the month
  8. clip — for paper
  9. shower — rain
  10. ball — a dance
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. shower — to wash
  19. march — music
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mate — a friend
  23. clip — a video
  24. rock — a stone

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