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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mate — a friend
  4. court — of a king
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. court — for sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. drill — army training
  11. face — part of the head
  12. court — of law
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stock — goods
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stock — shares
  21. face — to confront
  22. mate — a partner
  23. drill — the tool
  24. nail — for a hammer

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