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 · bat · staff · last · fork · perch · game · chest

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. staff — a stick
  6. last — to go on
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. game — a match
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fork — in a road
  13. staff — employees
  14. wake — a trail
  15. last — finally
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chest — a box
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chest — of your body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. last — final
  22. staff — employees
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chest — of your body

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