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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pop — soda
  8. bark — to shout
  9. object — to protest
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pop — to visit
  12. object — an aim
  13. pop — music
  14. cell — a phone
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cell — in biology
  19. object — a thing
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. fan — a supporter

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