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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. roll — a cake
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. present — there
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cold — not warm
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. roll — a list
  14. land — a country
  15. present — a gift
  16. land — to come down
  17. sharp — clever
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. land — ground
  20. court — for sport
  21. stock — goods
  22. cold — an illness
  23. stock — shares
  24. cold — the Cold War

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