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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stand — to bear
  3. rule — government
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. rest — what's left
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rest — a break
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. branch — a division
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bat — the animal
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. rest — what's left

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