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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. march — music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. court — of law
  7. ground — a position
  8. rush — hurry
  9. court — for sport
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. march — the month
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stock — goods
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. race — a contest
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stock — shares
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — to drill

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