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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — a coil
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. perch — the fish
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. spring — the season
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. snap — to click
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. spring — of water
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bat — the animal

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