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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. tear — from crying
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tear — from crying
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — the season
  13. march — the month
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chest — a box
  21. march — music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pit — in a race
  24. march — the month

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