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: chair · trunk · perch · stock · pass · bat · ground · drill

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stock — shares
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. ground — a position
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. stock — goods
  14. ground — the earth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. drill — army training
  19. ground — crushed
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. drill — the tool
  22. chair — a leader
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. drill — a practice

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