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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. root — of a plant
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. clip — for paper
  7. kid — child
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. clip — a video
  10. root — the cause
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. perch — the fish
  13. track — to keep track
  14. kid — to tease
  15. track — a path
  16. roll — a cake
  17. track — a song
  18. content — the amount
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. roll — a list
  22. content — happy
  23. root — of a word
  24. clip — to cut

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