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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. roll — a cake
  4. club — for dancing
  5. current — of water
  6. court — of law
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. court — for sport
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pit — in a race
  14. court — of a king
  15. shower — rain
  16. current — happening now
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. current — electric
  22. pit — a hole
  23. shower — to wash
  24. roll — a list

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