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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. craft — a skill
  5. court — for sport
  6. craft — boats
  7. court — of law
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — in a race
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. court — of a king
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. capital — a city
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. craft — a handicraft

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