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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. spell — a short time
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. spell — magic
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. key — the most important part
  8. court — for sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. capital — a city
  13. spell — letters
  14. capital — money
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. hand — help
  18. key — in music
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. perch — the fish
  24. key — for a lock

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