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: rest · coach · content · court · capital · perch · last · ruler

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — to go on
  4. court — of a king
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. court — of law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. capital — a city
  12. rest — what's left
  13. court — for sport
  14. content — happy
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. perch — the fish
  20. content — the amount
  21. capital — money
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. last — final
  24. content — videos and posts

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