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: bound · face · pound · spell · race · capital · present · court

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. spell — magic
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. capital — money
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. face — part of the head
  11. present — the time now
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bound — tied together
  14. face — to point toward
  15. present — a gift
  16. bound — certain
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. spell — letters
  19. race — a contest
  20. face — to confront
  21. capital — a city
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pound — a weight
  24. race — humankind

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