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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. net — for catching
  4. court — of law
  5. net — in sport
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. current — of water
  8. toast — bread
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — a hat
  11. court — for sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. net — after costs
  16. current — electric
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cap — of ice
  19. court — of a king
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. current — happening now
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the 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