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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. track — to keep track
  3. court — of law
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mate — a partner
  9. race — the arms race
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pop — music
  12. mate — to breed
  13. race — humankind
  14. pop — soda
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. swing — music
  17. track — a song
  18. race — a contest
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. mate — a friend
  21. track — a path
  22. bark — to shout
  23. court — for sport
  24. swing — to play on

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