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: straw · perch · fan · snap · bowl · band · tear · cabinet

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. tear — from crying
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. band — a ring
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tear — to rip
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. snap — to click

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