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 · stick · capital · foot · mate · court · file · face

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. capital — a city
  5. mate — to breed
  6. file — a tool
  7. mate — a partner
  8. file — a line of people
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. court — of a king
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. file — a document
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. foot — a measure
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. perch — the fish
  18. capital — money
  19. court — for sport
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. court — of law
  23. mate — a friend
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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