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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. scale — size or range
  4. perch — the fish
  5. drill — the tool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. fall — the season
  11. kick — in football
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. last — final
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. branch — a division
  18. wax — to grow
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. drill — army training
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — in music
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. fall — to drop

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