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: row · rest · chair · pound · last · perch · clip · leaves

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. last — finally
  4. clip — a video
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. row — to paddle
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. last — final
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. clip — to cut
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. last — to go on
  22. clip — for paper
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rest — what's left

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