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: scale · leaves · track · bat · straw · march · sharp · mark

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. scale — size or range
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. sharp — clever
  8. march — the month
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. track — a path
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. march — music
  13. scale — in music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. track — a song
  20. mark — a grade
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mark — a trace
  24. track — to keep track

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