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 · game · sharp · capital · bank · row · snap · perch

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. game — wild animals
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. capital — money
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bank — for money
  10. row — to paddle
  11. sharp — clever
  12. snap — to click
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. game — a match
  15. capital — a city
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bank — for money
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. perch — the fish
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. row — a quarrel

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