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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. lean — thin
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. clip — to cut
  5. file — a tool
  6. perch — the fish
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. clip — a video
  10. club — for dancing
  11. file — a line of people
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. toast — bread
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. court — of a king
  21. file — a document
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. club — for golf
  24. clip — for paper

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