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 124 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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. drill — a practice
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mark — a trace
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. drill — army training
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. court — of a king
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — the tool
  19. track — a song
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mark — a grade
  23. track — a path
  24. prune — to trim

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