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: perch · club · spring · pop · wound · cap · snap · stand

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stand — to bear
  3. spring — of water
  4. perch — the fish
  5. snap — to click
  6. pop — soda
  7. club — for golf
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pop — music
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pop — to visit
  13. spring — the season
  14. wound — an injury
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wound — an injury
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. club — a group
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. spring — a coil
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stand — for spectators

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