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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. drill — the tool
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. court — of law
  5. land — ground
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cold — an illness
  8. land — a country
  9. drill — a practice
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. court — for sport
  14. pit — a hole
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. foot — a measure
  18. court — of a king
  19. drill — army training
  20. land — to come down
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pit — in a race

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