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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. bank — of a river
  4. track — a path
  5. firm — steady
  6. scale — in music
  7. bank — for money
  8. firm — decided
  9. track — a song
  10. prune — to trim
  11. content — the amount
  12. court — for sport
  13. cell — a phone
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. track — to keep track
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bank — for money
  21. firm — a company
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cell — in biology
  24. prune — to trim

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