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 120 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: bay · capital · perch · last · shower · file · kick · game

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. last — finally
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. capital — money
  7. file — a line of people
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. last — final
  11. capital — a city
  12. last — to go on
  13. file — a document
  14. shower — rain
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a tool
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. game — a match
  21. shower — to wash
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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