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: trunk · sharp · capital · prune · court · vault · bark · track

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. court — of law
  4. track — a path
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. sharp — clever
  7. court — of a king
  8. track — to keep track
  9. court — for sport
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. vault — a safe
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — a city
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. track — a song
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. sharp — exactly

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