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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wound — an injury
  7. roll — a list
  8. court — for sport
  9. last — finally
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. last — to go on
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. court — of a king
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. court — of law
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wound — an injury
  24. roll — a cake

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