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: capital · board · last · race · mug · date · court · bark

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. board — to get on
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. race — humankind
  8. capital — money
  9. last — finally
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. board — a committee
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. court — of a king
  15. date — the fruit
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. last — final
  19. bark — to shout
  20. court — of law
  21. race — a contest
  22. mug — a cup
  23. last — to go on
  24. capital — a city

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