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: plane · firm · wind · arm · bat · perch · chest · rash

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. firm — decided
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. chest — of your body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chest — a box
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rash — a series
  22. firm — a company
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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