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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. spell — letters
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chest — of your body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. spell — a short time
  12. saw — the tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. perch — the fish
  17. chest — a box
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spell — magic
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bat — the animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bay — a horse colour

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