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 120 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 · plane · perch · foot · stock · swing · clip · pitcher

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. swing — in golf
  4. perch — the fish
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. clip — a video
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. swing — to play on
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. swing — music
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stock — a soup base

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