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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. shower — to wash
  3. march — the month
  4. shower — rain
  5. last — finally
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. march — the month
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. march — music
  13. perch — the fish
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — to go on
  19. bark — to shout
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. last — final
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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