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: march · trunk · scale · track · pop · net · bat · ground

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ground — a position
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pop — soda
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. march — the month
  11. ground — the earth
  12. march — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. scale — in music
  18. track — a path
  19. march — the month
  20. ground — crushed
  21. net — in sport
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. scale — size or range
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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