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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. march — the month
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — in sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. present — a gift
  8. hand — help
  9. present — there
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. degree — from a university
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. march — music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. degree — an amount
  21. present — the time now
  22. march — the month
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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