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

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pound — a weight
  5. last — final
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. staff — a stick
  8. kick — in football
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. last — finally
  11. staff — employees
  12. last — to go on
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. perch — the fish
  16. court — of a king
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. scale — size or range
  19. court — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. staff — employees
  22. scale — in music
  23. court — of law
  24. field — a subject

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