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: temple · row · rash · perch · scale · bark · clip · swing

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rash — a series
  3. clip — for paper
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. swing — to play on
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. clip — a video
  8. row — to paddle
  9. scale — size or range
  10. clip — to cut
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rash — hasty
  15. row — a line
  16. scale — in music
  17. swing — music
  18. bark — to shout
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. row — a quarrel

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