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 120 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: mine · pitcher · degree · hide · row · court · bark · perch

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — from a university
  6. court — of law
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — temperature
  12. court — of a king
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. row — to paddle
  16. court — for sport
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bark — to shout
  19. row — a line
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mine — an explosive

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