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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rule — a law
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — of law
  5. craft — boats
  6. rule — government
  7. craft — a skill
  8. clip — to cut
  9. board — a committee
  10. wound — an injury
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. clip — a video
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pass — a permit
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. game — a match
  20. board — to get on
  21. clip — for paper
  22. court — of a king
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. board — a flat piece

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