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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. court — of law
  3. branch — a division
  4. court — of a king
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. rest — what's left
  8. date — the fruit
  9. rest — a break
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bulb — for light
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rest — what's left
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. scale — in music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. court — for sport

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