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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wind — moving air
  4. present — there
  5. march — the month
  6. court — for sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chest — a box
  11. march — the month
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — a gift
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — of a king
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. present — the time now
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bat — the animal
  23. court — of law
  24. wind — moving air

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