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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. track — a path
  5. last — to go on
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stock — goods
  10. band — a ring
  11. stock — shares
  12. track — to keep track
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. last — finally
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bark — to shout
  22. band — a music group
  23. track — a song
  24. pitcher — a jug

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