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 120 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stock — goods
  3. drill — army training
  4. fall — the season
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. saw — the tool
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. drill — a practice
  13. stock — shares
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. court — of a king
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. court — for sport
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. drill — the tool

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