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: perch · calf · bay · clip · toast · mine · face · key

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. perch — the fish
  3. clip — to cut
  4. key — for a lock
  5. face — to confront
  6. mine — for digging
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. face — to point toward
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. mine — an explosive

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