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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mate — to breed
  9. branch — a division
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. sharp — clever
  13. present — the time now
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. content — the amount
  16. mate — a partner
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. lean — thin
  21. mate — a friend
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. perch — for a bird

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