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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. court — for sport
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. court — of a king
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. court — of law
  12. rule — government
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rule — a law
  21. wake — a trail
  22. kid — child
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bowl — a football final

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