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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mate — a friend
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — from a university
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chair — a leader
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. track — to keep track
  13. degree — an amount
  14. track — a song
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — temperature
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. track — a path
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. snap — to click
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mate — to breed
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. perch — the fish

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