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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. capital — money
  3. court — of a king
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fall — to drop
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fall — the season
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. file — a tool
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a line of people
  16. capital — a city
  17. court — for sport
  18. pop — to visit
  19. file — a document
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pop — soda
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pop — music

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