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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. court — for sport
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bore — to drill
  7. swing — music
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bass — low music
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rash — a series
  21. bore — to tire
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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