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: club · toast · court · mine · capital · vault · spell · fork

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. club — for golf
  3. court — of law
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. capital — a city
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. court — for sport
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. spell — magic
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. club — for dancing
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. toast — bread
  23. court — of a king
  24. club — a group

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