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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cell — a phone
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. kick — in football
  5. lean — thin
  6. bore — to tire
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bore — to drill
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. firm — a company
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. field — a subject
  14. ball — a dance
  15. firm — steady
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. firm — decided
  19. field — for sport
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cell — in biology
  23. field — farmland
  24. lean — to bend

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