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: bore · perch · court · cold · ruler · board · club · spell

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bore — to tire
  4. club — for dancing
  5. court — of law
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. club — a group
  8. court — for sport
  9. cold — an illness
  10. club — for golf
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bore — to drill
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spell — letters
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. board — a committee
  24. cold — not warm

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