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: perch · scale · hand · spring · mouse · degree · staff · stick

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. scale — in music
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spring — of water
  8. perch — the fish
  9. degree — from a university
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. staff — employees
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. hand — help
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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