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: jam · kid · march · object · wound · pop · land · court

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. march — the month
  4. court — of a king
  5. object — to protest
  6. march — the month
  7. pop — to visit
  8. court — for sport
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wound — an injury
  11. land — a country
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pop — soda
  14. object — an aim
  15. land — ground
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. march — music
  19. wound — an injury
  20. kid — child
  21. court — of law
  22. kid — to tease
  23. land — to come down
  24. object — a thing

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