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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. shower — rain
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. spell — magic
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. spell — letters
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. spell — a short time
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bat — the animal
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rock — music
  23. perch — the fish
  24. dip — to sink

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