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 · fork · content · nail · wave · band · prune · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. court — of a king
  5. band — a music group
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. content — the amount
  10. court — for sport
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. march — the month
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fork — in a road
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. content — happy
  21. march — music
  22. band — a ring
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. court — of law

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