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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — the month
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. court — of a king
  6. prune — to trim
  7. perch — the fish
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. band — a ring
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. court — for sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — size or range
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. march — music
  18. pitch — completely
  19. band — a music group
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. scale — in music
  24. court — of law

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