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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. shower — rain
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ground — a position
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cap — a hat
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. ground — the earth
  19. shower — to wash
  20. capital — a city
  21. cap — a lid
  22. capital — money
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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