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: mine · season · root · chair · perch · straw · file · row

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. perch — the fish
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. root — of a word
  7. file — a line of people
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. row — to paddle
  15. season — in sport
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. root — the cause
  19. season — of the year
  20. file — a document
  21. root — of a plant
  22. file — a tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. row — a line

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