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: scale · present · jam · chest · shower · perch · branch · lie

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chest — of your body
  7. present — a gift
  8. scale — in music
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. shower — to wash
  15. branch — a division
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. perch — the fish
  20. present — the time now
  21. shower — rain
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — to recline
  24. scale — size or range

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