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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. pit — a hole
  7. last — finally
  8. land — a country
  9. court — for sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. land — ground
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. court — of a king
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rest — what's left
  22. land — to come down
  23. rest — a break
  24. tube — a container

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