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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bat — the animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. key — the most important part
  5. roll — a cake
  6. season — in sport
  7. file — a tool
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fine — all right
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. file — a document
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. key — in music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fine — high quality
  22. key — for a lock
  23. season — of the year
  24. roll — a list

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