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: lie · court · hand · shower · track · march · mouse · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. court — of law
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. court — of a king
  10. sharp — clever
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. march — the month
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hand — in cards
  19. court — for sport
  20. march — music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. march — the month
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. track — to keep track

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