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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. suit — to fit
  5. kick — in football
  6. suit — in cards
  7. race — humankind
  8. suit — clothes
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. court — for sport
  12. clip — a video
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. clip — for paper
  18. sharp — clever
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. clip — to cut
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pit — in a race
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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