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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bound — certain
  7. court — for sport
  8. lie — to recline
  9. object — an aim
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cold — an illness
  14. object — to protest
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. object — a thing
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. court — of a king
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bound — tied together

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