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 116 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: saw · leaves · wake · drill · capital · pound · perch · last

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. capital — money
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. drill — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. wake — a trail
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. drill — a practice
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. last — finally
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. drill — army training
  24. pound — a weight

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