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 120 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: spring · wake · saw · stock · bore · ball · pitcher · court

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — of a king
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bore — to drill
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wake — a trail
  11. court — of law
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stock — goods
  17. court — for sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ball — a great time
  20. spring — of water
  21. stock — shares
  22. spring — the season
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. saw — the 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