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 · straw · branch · lie · date · kid · perch · plane

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. kid — to tease
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. branch — a division
  16. lie — to recline
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. kid — child
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bat — the animal
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. date — the fruit
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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