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: pop · court · bore · object · tube · capital · bear · bound

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. object — to protest
  3. capital — a city
  4. pop — music
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — to tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tube — a container
  11. pop — to visit
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. object — an aim
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pop — soda
  21. capital — money
  22. object — a thing
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bore — to drill

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