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 · net · straw · perch · field · sharp · mug · date

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. net — after costs
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mug — a face
  6. date — the fruit
  7. mug — a cup
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — for catching
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. net — in sport
  13. root — the cause
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. root — of a plant
  17. perch — the fish
  18. sharp — clever
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. root — of a word
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. field — for sport
  24. mug — to rob

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