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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. drill — the tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. can — a tin
  5. drill — a practice
  6. clip — to cut
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. can — to be able to
  9. clip — a video
  10. stand — to bear
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. march — music
  14. perch — the fish
  15. march — the month
  16. clip — for paper
  17. can — a tin
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. drill — army training
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. march — the month

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