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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. drill — the tool
  6. swing — in golf
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. court — for sport
  10. roll — a list
  11. swing — music
  12. squash — to crush
  13. swing — to play on
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. court — of law
  17. drill — army training
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bark — to shout
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. drill — a practice
  24. court — of a king

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