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

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. march — music
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. march — the month
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — of law
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bat — the animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. court — for sport
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. court — of a king

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