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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pop — to visit
  3. court — of a king
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pop — soda
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. court — of law
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pop — music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. court — for sport
  23. drill — a practice
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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