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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. tube — in a tire
  3. snap — to click
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bound — certain
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bound — obliged
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fan — a supporter
  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