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: court · cue · ground · scale · current · cell · file · wake

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ground — crushed
  4. current — electric
  5. court — of law
  6. wake — a trail
  7. file — a document
  8. ground — a position
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. file — a line of people
  12. current — of water
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. current — happening now
  15. court — of a king
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cell — a phone
  18. court — for sport
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cell — in biology
  24. file — a tool

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