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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. court — of law
  5. perch — the fish
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. tube — the underground
  12. court — of a king
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. tube — a container
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bore — to drill
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. court — for sport
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cell — in biology

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