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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. suit — in cards
  3. game — wild animals
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. game — a match
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mug — a face
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wind — moving air
  16. suit — clothes
  17. suit — to fit
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. land — a country

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