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: wave · land · court · date · band · capital · plane · perch

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. band — a ring
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. date — the fruit
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. capital — a city
  10. band — a music group
  11. plane — a tool
  12. perch — the fish
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. court — of a king
  20. land — ground
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. capital — money
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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