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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. court — for sport
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. toast — bread
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mark — a grade
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. capital — money
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. row — a line
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. row — to paddle
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. foot — a measure
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. mark — a trace
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. trunk — of a car

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