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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. swing — music
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. row — to paddle
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. club — a group
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. march — the month
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. march — music
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. march — the month
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. club — for golf
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. row — a line
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. perch — the fish
  24. trunk — of a car

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