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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fine — all right
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. perch — the fish
  9. prune — to trim
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. swing — music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fine — high quality
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. swing — in golf
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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