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: court · temple · clip · wound · chest · stand · root · charge

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. clip — a video
  5. court — of a king
  6. charge — in control
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stand — to bear
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. chest — a box
  15. root — of a word
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — of your body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. clip — to cut
  24. temple — side of the head

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