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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — after costs
  6. rash — hasty
  7. court — of a king
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. court — of law
  10. rash — a series
  11. present — a gift
  12. court — for sport
  13. track — a path
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. net — for catching
  16. track — to keep track
  17. net — in sport
  18. toast — bread
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. present — the time now
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. track — a song
  24. present — there

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