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: bat · bass · court · perch · ground · track · stem · present

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. track — a song
  6. ground — a position
  7. stem — to come from
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. bass — low music
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bass — the fish
  19. present — there
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bat — the animal
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bat — in an idiom

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