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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. capital — money
  10. spring — the season
  11. cue — a signal
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kick — in football
  17. snap — to click
  18. capital — a city
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. spring — of water
  23. sharp — exactly
  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