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: track · mine · perch · court · plane · fine · squash · coach

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. perch — the fish
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fine — all right
  6. court — for sport
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. track — a path
  9. fine — high quality
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. squash — the sport
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. squash — to crush
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. court — of law
  17. mine — for digging
  18. court — of a king
  19. track — to keep track
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — a song
  22. plane — a tool
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. plane — an aircraft

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