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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. band — a ring
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. band — a music group
  7. march — the month
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. squash — to crush
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. squash — the sport
  12. dip — to sink
  13. march — the month
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. march — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wake — before a funeral

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