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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rock — music
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. swing — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rock — a stone
  10. clip — a video
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tear — from crying
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. pop — music
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. pop — soda
  19. tear — to rip
  20. perch — the fish
  21. clip — for paper
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. clip — to cut
  24. tear — from crying

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