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: perch · stem · last · field · board · march · coach · ball

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stem — to come from
  5. field — for sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. last — to go on
  10. ball — a dance
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. march — music
  13. field — farmland
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. march — the month
  16. ball — a great time
  17. last — finally
  18. march — the month
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. perch — the fish
  23. field — a subject
  24. last — final

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