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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. charge — in control
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cold — not warm
  16. row — to paddle
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. row — a line
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — a division
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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