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: scale · hand · stick · court · squash · march · tear · lean

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. court — for sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. court — of law
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lean — to bend
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. scale — in music
  12. lean — thin
  13. squash — the sport
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. march — the month
  16. court — of a king
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. scale — size or range
  20. hand — help
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. march — the month
  24. tear — from crying

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