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

Word bank: coach · bore · charge · spring · vault · band · ball · capital

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. capital — a city
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. band — a music group
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bore — to drill
  10. charge — electricity
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. band — a ring
  16. vault — a safe
  17. charge — in control
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spring — of water
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. capital — money
  24. spring — the season

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