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 · prune · plane · land · field · straw · pound · lie

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bat — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — to trim
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. land — a country
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. land — ground
  24. straw — dry grass

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