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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chest — of your body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kid — child
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kid — to tease
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. lean — thin
  19. capital — a city
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rest — what's left
  22. perch — the fish
  23. chest — a box
  24. rest — a break

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