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 · deal · rock · wind · root · court · roll · bound

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bound — tied together
  4. root — of a plant
  5. roll — a list
  6. root — the cause
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rock — a stone
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bound — certain
  14. deal — to handle
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — of a word
  18. bound — obliged
  19. capital — money
  20. court — for sport
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. rock — music
  24. wind — moving air

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