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

Word bank: court · mine · file · bass · rest · bowl · plane · capital

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bass — the fish
  9. capital — money
  10. court — of a king
  11. file — a tool
  12. capital — a city
  13. file — a document
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rest — a break
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bass — low music
  19. mine — for digging
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mine — belonging to me

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