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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. swing — in golf
  4. scale — size or range
  5. net — in sport
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. perch — the fish
  9. net — for catching
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rock — a stone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. net — after costs
  17. swing — to play on
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pitch — completely
  20. swing — music
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. scale — in music

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