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: pitcher · bay · hand · can · last · perch · clip · rest

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — for paper
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — a video
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hand — help
  12. last — to go on
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hand — in cards
  19. rest — a break
  20. last — finally
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. last — final
  24. perch — the fish

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