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: bark · board · pass · spell · capital · degree · fall · mouse

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. spell — magic
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fall — the season
  18. board — a committee
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fall — to drop
  22. capital — a city
  23. board — to get on
  24. degree — an amount

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