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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. court — for sport
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pound — a weight
  12. ground — a position
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. court — of a king
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. court — of law
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. toast — bread
  24. stand — for spectators

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