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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. last — to go on
  4. cap — a lid
  5. last — final
  6. court — for sport
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pit — a hole
  9. season — of the year
  10. last — finally
  11. pit — in a race
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. key — in music
  14. season — in sport
  15. rest — a break
  16. cap — a hat
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — of a king
  20. key — the most important part
  21. scale — in music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. scale — size or range
  24. season — to add flavour

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