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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. court — for sport
  5. charge — electricity
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. track — to keep track
  11. charge — a price
  12. wound — an injury
  13. track — a path
  14. cold — an illness
  15. track — a song
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. court — of law
  20. cold — not warm
  21. court — of a king
  22. last — final
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wound — an injury

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