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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. key — in music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. key — for a lock
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. season — in sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. row — to paddle
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. key — the most important part
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. row — a line
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. season — of the year
  24. perch — for a bird

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