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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. court — for sport
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. drill — a practice
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a hole
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mate — a partner
  11. court — of law
  12. band — a ring
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pit — in a race
  15. perch — the fish
  16. net — after costs
  17. drill — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. net — in sport
  20. band — a music group
  21. drill — army training
  22. court — of a king
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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