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 116 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 · bound · trunk · tear · hand · kick · rock · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bound — obliged
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. capital — a city
  6. bound — tied together
  7. hand — help
  8. land — ground
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rock — a stone
  12. land — to come down
  13. rock — music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bound — certain
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. hand — in cards

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