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: bore · can · wound · capital · court · land · squash · trunk

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. land — ground
  3. can — a tin
  4. land — a country
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wound — an injury
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. can — to be able to
  10. court — for sport
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. can — a tin
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. squash — the sport
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. land — to come down
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bore — to drill
  22. capital — a city
  23. court — of law
  24. bore — to tire

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