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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. court — for sport
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. tube — the underground
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. court — of law
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stock — goods
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pound — a weight
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. spell — a short time
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stock — shares
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spell — magic
  20. tube — a container
  21. row — a line
  22. spell — letters
  23. fan — a supporter
  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