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: root · perch · pitcher · roll · march · plane · mark · last

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mark — a grade
  3. march — the month
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. roll — a cake
  6. last — to go on
  7. march — the month
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. last — final
  10. root — of a word
  11. march — music
  12. mark — a trace
  13. root — of a plant
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. roll — a list
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — the cause
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. last — finally
  24. plane — a tool

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