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: drill · last · bank · chip · march · lie · content · court

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. court — of law
  3. last — final
  4. court — of a king
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bank — of a river
  7. march — the month
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bank — for money
  10. drill — the tool
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. drill — army training
  14. chip — to eat
  15. content — the amount
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chip — for betting
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. court — for sport
  20. content — happy
  21. bank — for money
  22. march — the month
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. march — music

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