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: pitch · plane · rock · content · game · court · last · ruler

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. court — of law
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. content — happy
  6. court — of a king
  7. game — a match
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. court — for sport
  12. content — the amount
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rock — a stone
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pitch — completely
  20. plane — a tool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. last — finally
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rock — music

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