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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. face — to confront
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. perch — the fish
  8. capital — a city
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. capital — money
  12. track — to keep track
  13. face — part of the head
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. face — to point toward
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. board — to get on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — a committee

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