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: capital · prune · leaves · kick · temple · court · squash · row

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. prune — to trim
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. squash — to crush
  8. capital — money
  9. row — to paddle
  10. court — of law
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. court — for sport
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. row — a line
  15. capital — a city
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. court — of a king
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. kick — in football
  24. prune — the fruit

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