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: fork · wake · calf · lash · march · pitcher · field · perch

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. field — for sport
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. march — the month
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. field — a subject
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. field — farmland
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. march — the month
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. march — music
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. fork — in a road
  24. calf — a young animal

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