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: court · fall · charge · saw · perch · cap · wake · straw

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. charge — in control
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. court — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — the fish
  14. charge — a price
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cap — of ice
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. charge — electricity
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. court — of law
  24. court — of a king

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