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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — wild animals
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bat — the animal
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. capital — money
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. net — in sport
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. net — after costs
  22. game — a match
  23. net — for catching
  24. present — a gift

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