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 120 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 · spell · pitcher · patient · object · wake · net · degree

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. spell — a short time
  3. net — for catching
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — in sport
  9. object — to protest
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. degree — an amount
  12. object — an aim
  13. spell — letters
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. degree — temperature
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. net — after costs
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spell — magic
  23. degree — from a university
  24. object — a thing

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