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: cold · key · mug · track · march · pitcher · court · board

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. key — the most important part
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. track — a song
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mug — to rob
  10. march — the month
  11. mug — a face
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cold — an illness
  14. key — in music
  15. board — a committee
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mug — a cup
  18. march — the month
  19. court — for sport
  20. track — a path
  21. march — music
  22. board — to get on
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pitcher — a jug

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