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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chip — for betting
  3. march — music
  4. fall — the season
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rash — a series
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — of law
  9. clip — a video
  10. fall — to drop
  11. court — of a king
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. clip — for paper
  15. court — for sport
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rash — hasty
  22. march — the month
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wax — to grow

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