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: coach · rash · wake · scale · safe · stem · perch · last

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. last — final
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. perch — the fish
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rash — a series
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. scale — in music
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — finally
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wake — a trail

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