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: wake · perch · hide · roll · capital · dip · tube · ground

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — a city
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ground — crushed
  5. tube — the underground
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ground — a position
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. tube — a container
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. ground — the earth
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — a list
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. capital — money

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