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: perch · fan · game · bound · pitcher · bass · last · field

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bound — tied together
  3. last — final
  4. field — for sport
  5. last — to go on
  6. bound — certain
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. bass — low music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. bass — the fish
  20. last — finally
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. perch — the fish
  24. fan — to cool the air

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