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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pop — music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pop — soda
  8. bulb — for light
  9. perch — the fish
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bulb — for light
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — to visit
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bat — the animal
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. branch — of a bank

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