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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. sharp — clever
  4. march — the month
  5. roll — a cake
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. march — the month
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. march — music
  22. court — of a king
  23. roll — a list
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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