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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. swing — music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. field — farmland
  10. swing — to play on
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. field — a subject
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. game — a match
  17. kick — in football
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. field — for sport
  20. swing — in golf
  21. perch — the fish
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. game — wild animals

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