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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. file — a document
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. snap — to click
  8. file — a tool
  9. bank — of a river
  10. track — a path
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. track — to keep track
  13. band — a music group
  14. capital — money
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bank — for money
  20. capital — a city
  21. perch — the fish
  22. band — a ring
  23. track — a song
  24. bank — for money

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