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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cue — a signal
  6. capital — money
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cue — a hint
  9. court — for sport
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rush — hurry
  12. court — of law
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. court — of a king
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bear — the animal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. capital — a city

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