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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. capital — a city
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. land — a country
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. land — to come down
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. land — ground
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stem — to come from
  17. capital — money
  18. fall — the season
  19. game — wild animals
  20. vault — a safe
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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