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 · fork · ruler · date · capital · coach · cold · ball

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fork — in a road
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. capital — money
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. capital — a city
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ball — a dance
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. date — on the calendar

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