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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. perch — the fish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. key — for a lock
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. key — in music
  9. tube — a container
  10. prune — to trim
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tube — the underground
  15. key — the most important part
  16. content — happy
  17. hand — help
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. hand — in cards
  21. saw — the tool
  22. content — the amount
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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