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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. can — a tin
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. file — a document
  9. can — a tin
  10. file — a tool
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. can — to be able to
  14. track — a path
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. track — to keep track
  17. capital — money
  18. craft — boats
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. track — a song
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bowl — a dish

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