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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pop — soda
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. fork — in a road
  14. capital — a city
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. kid — child
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. perch — the fish
  20. present — there
  21. pop — music
  22. capital — money
  23. kid — to tease
  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