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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bat — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. field — a subject
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. field — for sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. field — farmland
  24. saw — the tool

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