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: track · bass · pit · court · march · sharp · land · staff

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. court — of a king
  3. pit — a hole
  4. land — to come down
  5. track — a song
  6. land — a country
  7. march — the month
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bass — low music
  10. court — for sport
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. court — of law
  14. track — a path
  15. pit — in a race
  16. land — ground
  17. staff — a stick
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. staff — employees
  21. march — the month
  22. staff — employees
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bass — the fish

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