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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. court — of law
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cue — for pool
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. court — for sport
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. net — for catching
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mine — for digging
  20. net — after costs
  21. tube — the underground
  22. net — in sport
  23. court — of a king
  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