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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. prune — to trim
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chair — a leader
  8. stock — shares
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stock — goods
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. row — a line
  17. band — a music group
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. perch — the fish
  20. row — to paddle
  21. band — a ring
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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