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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bound — certain
  3. scale — in music
  4. bank — for money
  5. stem — to come from
  6. file — a document
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — for sport
  9. bound — tied together
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pop — soda
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pop — music
  14. bank — of a river
  15. court — of law
  16. bank — for money
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pop — to visit
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. scale — size or range
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. court — of a king
  24. stem — a stem cell

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