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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fall — to drop
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bass — the fish
  7. capital — a city
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. scale — in music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. scale — size or range
  20. capital — money
  21. fall — the season
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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