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: rash · game · leaves · perch · track · sharp · kid · racket

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. kid — to tease
  4. track — a path
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rash — a series
  8. track — a song
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rash — hasty
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. sharp — clever
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kid — child
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. perch — the fish
  24. racket — for tennis

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