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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fine — high quality
  6. tube — a container
  7. court — of a king
  8. stand — to bear
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — of your body
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. fine — all right
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. court — for sport
  19. chest — a box
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stand — for spectators

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