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: perch · mine · cue · cell · capital · present · net · hide

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cell — a phone
  4. capital — money
  5. net — after costs
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — for pool
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — a city
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. net — in sport
  17. cue — a signal
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. net — for catching
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mine — an explosive

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