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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stock — shares
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. rash — a series
  18. tube — a container
  19. file — a document
  20. court — of a king
  21. lie — to recline
  22. stock — goods
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. file — a tool

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