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: band · deal · perch · lean · ground · court · spring · object

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a music group
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. court — of a king
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ground — crushed
  12. spring — a coil
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. ground — a position
  16. band — a ring
  17. lean — to bend
  18. court — of law
  19. perch — the fish
  20. object — a thing
  21. ground — the earth
  22. court — for sport
  23. lean — thin
  24. deal — a big deal

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