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: wake · perch · swing · racket · date · ground · trunk · hand

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ground — the earth
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. swing — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. swing — in golf
  12. ground — crushed
  13. hand — help
  14. ground — a position
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — to play on
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wake — a trail
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. perch — the fish

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