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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — a measure
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cap — of ice
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hand — help
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chair — a professorship

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