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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. current — happening now
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. field — a subject
  7. court — of law
  8. current — electric
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. clip — a video
  15. field — for sport
  16. clip — to cut
  17. court — for sport
  18. current — of water
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. clip — for paper
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. field — farmland
  24. saw — 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