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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pit — in a race
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. track — a path
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. track — to keep track
  9. court — of law
  10. track — a song
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rush — hurry
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pit — a hole
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. court — for sport
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. plane — in geometry

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