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: hand · swing · club · pitcher · fork · perch · bear · face

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. hand — help
  3. swing — music
  4. perch — the fish
  5. swing — to play on
  6. club — for golf
  7. face — part of the head
  8. hand — in cards
  9. face — to confront
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. face — to point toward
  12. club — a group
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — in a road
  21. swing — in golf
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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