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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. current — happening now
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. court — of a king
  5. spring — the season
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spring — of water
  9. toast — bread
  10. court — of law
  11. current — electric
  12. content — the amount
  13. court — for sport
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — a series
  16. content — happy
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spring — a coil
  19. march — the month
  20. current — of water
  21. march — music
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. content — videos and posts

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