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: race · squash · capital · court · tube · mate · plane · wound

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tube — a container
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. race — humankind
  8. squash — the sport
  9. race — a contest
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wound — an injury
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. court — of a king
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. capital — money
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mate — a friend
  19. court — of law
  20. capital — a city
  21. tube — the underground
  22. court — for sport
  23. mate — a partner
  24. tube — in a tire

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