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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wound — an injury
  7. game — a match
  8. court — of law
  9. cap — of ice
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. court — for sport
  12. game — wild animals
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. rash — hasty
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cap — a lid
  20. court — of a king
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. capital — money
  23. wound — an injury
  24. key — in music

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