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: bat · pitch · straw · ground · cap · mark · perch · tube

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bat — the animal
  3. tube — a container
  4. cap — of ice
  5. ground — a position
  6. cap — a lid
  7. perch — the fish
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mark — a grade
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. tube — the underground
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cap — a hat
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mark — a trace

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