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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. clip — a video
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. clip — to cut
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mug — a cup
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. track — a path
  10. court — for sport
  11. mug — to rob
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. perch — the fish
  17. clip — for paper
  18. court — of a king
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. court — of law
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pitch — completely
  24. track — a song

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