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: object · bound · pop · capital · perch · coach · season · net

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. net — after costs
  3. pop — soda
  4. net — for catching
  5. object — to protest
  6. bound — certain
  7. capital — money
  8. net — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. perch — the fish
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. object — a thing
  14. capital — a city
  15. object — an aim
  16. season — of the year
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bound — obliged
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — to visit
  22. season — in sport
  23. pop — music
  24. capital — a big letter

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