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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. capital — money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cue — a signal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. capital — a city
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mark — a trace
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pound — a weight
  24. wax — to grow

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