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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. court — of law
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. present — a gift
  9. race — humankind
  10. club — for golf
  11. bound — certain
  12. court — of a king
  13. present — there
  14. club — a group
  15. court — for sport
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. club — for dancing
  18. race — a contest
  19. bound — tied together
  20. present — the time now
  21. game — wild animals
  22. race — the arms race
  23. game — a match
  24. pit — a hole

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