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 116 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: march · bark · bat · wake · current · perch · nail · mark

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. current — electric
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. current — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. current — happening now
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bark — to shout
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. march — music
  24. nail — for a hammer

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