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 120 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 · firm · trunk · shower · march · perch · content · straw

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. perch — the fish
  3. firm — a company
  4. shower — rain
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. court — of law
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. content — the amount
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. firm — steady
  13. march — music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. court — for sport
  17. march — the month
  18. content — happy
  19. shower — to wash
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. court — of a king
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. march — the month

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