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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. net — in sport
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wind — moving air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spell — a short time
  8. net — after costs
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. spell — magic
  12. snap — to click
  13. bat — the animal
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. net — for catching
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spell — letters

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