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: sharp · field · chip · drill · leaves · spring · perch · stock

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. field — farmland
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. spring — a coil
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — the tool
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. stock — goods
  11. field — for sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. drill — a practice
  14. perch — the fish
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. stock — shares
  22. spring — the season
  23. field — a subject
  24. sharp — clever

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