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: pop · perch · leaves · straw · snap · last · rock · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pop — to visit
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pop — music
  13. last — final
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pop — soda
  16. rock — music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bat — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. last — to go on
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. last — finally
  24. snap — to click

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