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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. last — final
  4. pit — a hole
  5. capital — a city
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pit — in a race
  9. last — to go on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. kick — in football
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. perch — the fish
  23. last — finally
  24. mine — for digging

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