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: track · shower · dip · key · perch · spring · bear · kid

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. shower — to wash
  6. dip — to sink
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. track — a song
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. key — the most important part
  12. perch — the fish
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. kid — to tease
  15. key — in music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. shower — rain
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. spring — the season
  22. kid — child
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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