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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. last — finally
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kid — to tease
  5. ball — a great time
  6. band — a music group
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. last — to go on
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. band — a ring
  15. perch — the fish
  16. kid — child
  17. season — in sport
  18. last — final
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — of the year
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mouse — the animal

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