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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. court — of law
  3. scale — in music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. prune — to trim
  6. content — happy
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. suit — in cards
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. suit — clothes
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitch — completely
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. suit — to fit
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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