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 116 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bark — to shout
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. court — of law
  16. rock — music
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. swing — music
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mine — belonging to me

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