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: plane · degree · perch · racket · mark · pitcher · stand · sharp

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stand — to bear
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. degree — from a university
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. degree — an amount
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. plane — a tool
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. perch — the fish
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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