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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. court — for sport
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. march — music
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. press — to push
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. press — newspapers
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. last — finally
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. march — the month
  18. field — a subject
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kick — in football
  21. last — to go on
  22. march — the month
  23. last — final
  24. press — a publisher

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