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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  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. court — of law
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rule — a law
  5. season — in sport
  6. track — a song
  7. rule — government
  8. craft — boats
  9. track — to keep track
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bound — certain
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — of the year
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bound — obliged
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. track — a path
  21. tube — a container
  22. court — for sport
  23. craft — a skill
  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