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: trunk · ruler · ground · temple · capital · toast · file · roll

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. capital — a city
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. file — a line of people
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. toast — bread
  9. file — a tool
  10. roll — a list
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ground — the earth
  16. file — a document
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. ground — crushed
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. capital — money
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. temple — a place of worship

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