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 116 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: can · rash · firm · court · mine · fall · perch · game

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rash — a series
  3. game — a match
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. can — to be able to
  12. firm — steady
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. firm — decided
  15. can — a tin
  16. court — of a king
  17. fall — the season
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fall — to drop
  21. firm — a company
  22. can — a tin
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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