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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. spell — magic
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spell — letters
  10. court — of a king
  11. tear — from crying
  12. court — for sport
  13. last — final
  14. court — of law
  15. row — a line
  16. last — finally
  17. mark — a grade
  18. last — to go on
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mark — a trace
  22. tear — to rip
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mate — to breed

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