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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. court — of law
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spring — a coil
  7. court — of a king
  8. track — to keep track
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rash — hasty
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spring — the season
  15. rash — a series
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. perch — the fish
  18. track — a path
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. spring — of water
  21. track — a song
  22. court — for sport
  23. board — a committee
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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