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: sharp · perch · wave · straw · pit · season · clip · hand

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. clip — to cut
  5. hand — help
  6. sharp — clever
  7. season — of the year
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. clip — a video
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. clip — for paper
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. perch — the fish
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. hand — in cards
  24. season — in sport

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