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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — to protest
  3. net — for catching
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. court — for sport
  6. pop — soda
  7. object — an aim
  8. court — of law
  9. fork — in a road
  10. object — a thing
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. net — in sport
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — of a king
  21. net — after costs
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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