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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · shower · straw · lean · row · perch · patient · key

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. hand — in cards
  4. key — for a lock
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lean — to bend
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. hand — help
  17. key — the most important part
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. key — in music
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. lean — thin
  24. hand — part of the body

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