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 · key · trunk · sharp · rash · rule · pass · clip

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pass — a permit
  6. rash — hasty
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. court — for sport
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. key — in music
  14. rule — a law
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. rule — government
  20. clip — to cut
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. clip — a video

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