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: last · cue · perch · march · mine · pitch · net · nail

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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. nail — on a finger
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — final
  6. net — for catching
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — after costs
  9. last — finally
  10. cue — a signal
  11. last — to go on
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. net — in sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. pitch — completely
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. perch — 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