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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — low music
  8. clip — for paper
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bass — the fish
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. roll — a list
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. branch — a division
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. date — the fruit
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. clip — to cut
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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