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: land · march · board · content · firm · court · row · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. firm — steady
  3. land — to come down
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. content — happy
  7. court — for sport
  8. land — ground
  9. march — the month
  10. firm — decided
  11. march — the month
  12. board — a committee
  13. march — music
  14. content — the amount
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. land — a country
  19. row — to paddle
  20. firm — a company
  21. row — a line
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. board — to get on

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