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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ground — the earth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ground — a position
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. court — for sport
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. perch — the fish
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ground — crushed
  16. court — of a king
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. capital — money
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. capital — a city
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. court — of law

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