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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · board · rest · suit · ground · fork · tube · race

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ground — crushed
  3. rest — what's left
  4. ground — a position
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. race — the arms race
  7. court — of a king
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fork — in a road
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. ground — the earth
  14. race — humankind
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. board — to get on
  17. race — a contest
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. board — a committee
  21. court — for sport
  22. suit — to fit
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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