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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. ground — the earth
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. capital — a city
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ground — crushed
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cold — not warm
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bat — the animal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. branch — a division
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ground — a position
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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