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 120 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: pitcher · current · mark · perch · cell · craft · snap · court

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. current — happening now
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. court — of law
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. court — for sport
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. current — electric
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — of water
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. craft — boats
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. craft — a skill
  22. court — of a king
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cell — in biology

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