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: trunk · pop · last · lean · field · game · fan · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. lean — to bend
  5. field — a subject
  6. pop — soda
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pop — music
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. game — wild animals
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. last — final
  21. field — farmland
  22. lean — thin
  23. field — for sport
  24. game — a match

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