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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bound — obliged
  5. court — of a king
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wake — a trail
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tube — the underground
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. court — of law
  15. march — music
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. court — for sport
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — certain
  22. tube — a container
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bound — tied together

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