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 · track · march · trunk · stock · field · present · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. track — a path
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stock — shares
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. present — there
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. field — farmland
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. march — music
  15. track — a song
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stock — goods
  18. track — to keep track
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. field — for sport
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. field — a subject

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