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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. root — of a plant
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — finally
  5. mug — a cup
  6. snap — to click
  7. perch — the fish
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. season — of the year
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. root — of a word
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. mug — a face
  19. net — after costs
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. season — in sport
  24. root — the cause

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