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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. last — finally
  3. fall — the season
  4. present — there
  5. fall — to drop
  6. last — final
  7. net — after costs
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to click
  10. net — for catching
  11. track — a path
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. present — the time now
  15. net — in sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — to drop
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. perch — the fish
  21. track — to keep track
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. present — a gift

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