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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — a position
  7. shower — to wash
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitch — completely
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. swing — music
  20. chest — a box
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. perch — the fish
  23. swing — in golf
  24. ground — crushed

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