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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · racket · capital · bass · straw · perch · cap · sharp

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bass — low music
  4. lean — thin
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. capital — money
  8. bass — the fish
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cap — a hat
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cap — a lid
  24. perch — the fish

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