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: straw · perch · mate · sharp · shower · rule · degree · racket

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. sharp — clever
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. shower — to wash
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mate — to breed
  12. shower — rain
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. perch — the fish
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mate — a partner
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mate — a friend

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