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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fall — to drop
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. perch — the fish
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fall — the season
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fall — to drop
  10. scale — in music
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pit — in a race
  14. scale — size or range
  15. rash — a series
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rash — hasty

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