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: row · bat · fall · pitcher · rash · march · perch · can

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. row — a line
  3. rash — hasty
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. march — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fall — the season
  20. can — to be able to
  21. fall — to drop
  22. can — a tin
  23. march — the month
  24. rash — a series

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