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: key · bat · present · spell · straw · last · perch · patient

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. present — there
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. spell — letters
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. last — final
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. present — a gift
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. present — the time now
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. last — to go on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — finally
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. key — for a lock
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bat — 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