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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. court — of a king
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. drill — army training
  6. land — ground
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rock — music
  9. court — for sport
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mark — a trace
  12. object — an aim
  13. mark — a grade
  14. court — of law
  15. drill — the tool
  16. land — a country
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. land — to come down
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rock — a 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