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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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. mine — belonging to me
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. court — of a king
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. suit — clothes
  12. club — a group
  13. clip — a video
  14. court — for sport
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. suit — to fit
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. clip — to cut
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bat — the animal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mine — for digging
  24. suit — in cards

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