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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. key — for a lock
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. press — to push
  14. bear — the animal
  15. key — in music
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. wound — an injury
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bear — to put up with

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