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: root · last · scale · bass · game · mine · perch · sharp

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. root — of a word
  3. game — a match
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. root — of a plant
  12. scale — size or range
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. game — wild animals
  15. sharp — clever
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. last — final
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. root — the cause
  20. bass — low music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. scale — in music
  24. bass — the fish

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