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 · ball · tear · file · capital · coach · trunk · content

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bark — to shout
  8. content — the amount
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. capital — money
  11. ball — a dance
  12. tear — to rip
  13. capital — a city
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. ball — a great time
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. content — happy
  24. file — a document

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