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: rock · vault · court · capital · board · pitcher · ground · saw

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. ground — a position
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. board — a committee
  7. capital — money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. court — for sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. vault — a safe
  14. court — of a king
  15. rock — a stone
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. court — of law
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. saw — the tool
  20. capital — a city
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. saw — the tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rock — music

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