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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fine — all right
  5. spell — magic
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. spell — letters
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cap — of ice
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cap — a lid
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cap — a hat
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fine — high quality

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