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

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — final
  3. key — the most important part
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. content — the amount
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mine — for digging
  12. last — to go on
  13. key — for a lock
  14. last — finally
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. club — a group
  18. key — in music
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. tube — the underground
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — a container

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