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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. face — to confront
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. craft — boats
  8. clip — to cut
  9. craft — a skill
  10. court — for sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — a permit
  13. perch — the fish
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pound — a weight
  16. face — part of the head
  17. court — of a king
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. clip — a video
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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