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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rule — government
  3. club — for dancing
  4. kid — to tease
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. net — after costs
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. net — for catching
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. kid — child
  15. stem — to come from
  16. net — in sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — for golf
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. saw — the tool
  22. club — a group
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rule — a 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