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: season · temple · row · fan · capital · wind · perch · coach

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. capital — a city
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. capital — money
  16. season — in sport
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. perch — the fish
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. season — of the year

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