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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bass — low music
  4. stock — goods
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. face — to point toward
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wax — to grow
  9. face — to confront
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stock — shares
  13. branch — a division
  14. wind — moving air
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pitch — completely

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