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: bowl · mouse · scale · perch · land · chest · plane · straw

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. scale — size or range
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. land — ground
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. land — a country
  10. plane — a tool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. perch — the fish
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. scale — in music
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. chest — a box
  20. land — to come down
  21. chest — of your body
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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