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: court · wind · pitch · perch · bark · leaves · straw · bulb

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bark — to shout
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wind — moving air
  16. court — for sport
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — of a king
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bulb — for light

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