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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. clip — for paper
  3. court — of a king
  4. land — a country
  5. lie — to recline
  6. clip — a video
  7. land — to come down
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rush — hurry
  11. court — for sport
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. march — the month
  23. land — ground
  24. march — music

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