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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rush — hurry
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. scale — in music
  6. court — for sport
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. band — a ring
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mark — a grade
  14. band — a music group
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. court — of a king

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