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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. present — the time now
  4. charge — a price
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. charge — electricity
  10. court — of a king
  11. rest — what's left
  12. court — of law
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. court — for sport
  18. charge — in control
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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