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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. ground — a position
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. field — farmland
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — for sport
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. perch — the fish
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. branch — a division
  18. ground — the earth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. field — a subject
  22. kick — in football
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ground — crushed

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