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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bat — the animal
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. court — for sport
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. craft — boats
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. last — finally
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. game — a match
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. court — of a king
  19. last — to go on
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. last — final
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. game — a kind of play

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