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 120 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — a city
  3. last — to go on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — of the year
  6. root — of a plant
  7. last — finally
  8. root — the cause
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. season — in sport
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lean — thin
  15. last — final
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. perch — the fish
  18. root — of a word
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. capital — money
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. lean — to bend

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