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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bound — obliged
  3. net — in sport
  4. file — a document
  5. mark — a trace
  6. court — of a king
  7. file — a tool
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rule — government
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bat — the animal
  12. net — after costs
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rule — a law
  20. court — of law
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. net — for catching

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