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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cell — in biology
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pit — in a race
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pit — a hole
  14. perch — the fish
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wax — to grow
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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