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: bound · scale · mine · stand · swing · foot · fork · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. court — for sport
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. court — of law
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bound — obliged
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. swing — in golf
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stand — to bear
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. swing — music
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. court — of a king
  21. mine — for digging
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  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