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 120 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. court — for sport
  6. charge — electricity
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rush — hurry
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. court — of law
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bark — to shout
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — of a king
  18. capital — money
  19. charge — a price
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. charge — in control
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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