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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pop — soda
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. row — a line
  6. pop — to visit
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pop — music
  11. capital — a city
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. capital — money
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hide — animal skin

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