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: pitch · file · chest · perch · prune · season · plane · degree

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. degree — temperature
  4. perch — the fish
  5. degree — from a university
  6. file — a line of people
  7. season — of the year
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. degree — an amount
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. file — a document
  16. chest — of your body
  17. plane — a tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitch — completely
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. chest — a box
  24. file — a tool

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