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: bass · spell · clip · mouse · shower · perch · content · wind

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spell — a short time
  5. shower — to wash
  6. clip — a video
  7. shower — rain
  8. bass — low music
  9. spell — magic
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. spell — letters
  15. bass — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wind — moving air
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wind — moving air
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. mouse — the animal

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