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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. march — the month
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. march — the month
  5. perch — the fish
  6. kid — to tease
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — a coil
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. kid — child
  16. rule — a law
  17. spring — of water
  18. fine — all right
  19. march — music
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. spring — the season
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rule — government
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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