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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bank — for money
  4. court — for sport
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. firm — a company
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — steady
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bank — for money
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. last — finally
  24. court — of a king

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