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 116 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: fan · track · mine · hide · bass · perch · last · racket

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — to go on
  3. track — a path
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — to keep track
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. last — final
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. track — a song
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. last — finally
  24. bass — the instrument

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