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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. clip — for paper
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. face — part of the head
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. face — to confront
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. band — a ring
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. clip — to cut
  13. band — a music group
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bound — obliged
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. clip — a video
  18. rash — a series
  19. bound — tied together
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bound — certain
  22. foot — a measure
  23. hand — help
  24. band — a rubber band

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