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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ground — crushed
  3. scale — size or range
  4. court — of a king
  5. shower — rain
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ground — a position
  11. court — of law
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. land — ground
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — for sport
  19. ground — the earth
  20. land — a country
  21. scale — in music
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. land — to come down

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