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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. charge — a price
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wound — an injury
  13. roll — a list
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. charge — in control
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. prune — to trim
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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