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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. capital — a city
  5. hand — in cards
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — finally
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. last — final
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. last — to go on
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. leaves — to go away

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