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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bass — low music
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cap — a lid
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stock — shares
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stock — goods

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