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 116 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: dip · prune · hide · drill · straw · face · spell · perch

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. face — part of the head
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spell — letters
  6. prune — to trim
  7. face — to confront
  8. spell — magic
  9. drill — army training
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. spell — a short time
  12. perch — the fish
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. drill — a practice
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. dip — to sink
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — the tool
  24. straw — dry grass

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