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: clip · plane · ball · straw · stand · lie · game · perch

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — to recline
  3. game — wild animals
  4. clip — to cut
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. stand — to bear
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ball — a dance
  11. clip — a video
  12. game — a match
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. clip — for paper
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. perch — the fish
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. straw — a straw man

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