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 · can · temple · clip · fan · dip · perch · net

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — in cards
  4. net — in sport
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. net — for catching
  7. hand — help
  8. dip — to sink
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. perch — the fish
  18. net — after costs
  19. clip — a video
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. temple — side of the head

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