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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — to go on
  6. scale — in music
  7. content — the amount
  8. last — final
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. content — happy
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. last — finally
  14. season — in sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. season — of the year
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. perch — the fish
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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