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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. clip — for paper
  3. perch — the fish
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chest — of your body
  8. clip — to cut
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wake — a trail
  11. swing — music
  12. chest — a box
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. swing — to play on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. craft — boats
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. clip — a video
  21. fall — to drop
  22. swing — in golf
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fall — the season

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