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 116 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: suit · degree · row · perch · fall · straw · present · trunk

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. suit — to fit
  4. present — there
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fall — to drop
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. suit — clothes
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fall — the season
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. row — a line
  17. degree — temperature
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. present — the time now
  20. fall — to drop
  21. present — a gift
  22. perch — the fish
  23. degree — from a university
  24. row — to paddle

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