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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. clip — for paper
  6. fine — all right
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fine — high quality
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. swing — music
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bore — gave birth

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