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: saw · last · straw · net · leaves · perch · plane · bat

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. net — for catching
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. plane — a tool
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. perch — the fish
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. last — to go on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. net — after costs
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bat — the animal

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