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 116 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. key — in music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. row — a line
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — to trim
  7. key — for a lock
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. perch — the fish
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. squash — the sport
  19. key — the most important part
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. squash — to crush
  24. row — to paddle

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