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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. spring — of water
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. object — an aim
  9. spring — the season
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chair — a leader
  12. court — of a king
  13. spring — a coil
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. object — a thing
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. kick — in football
  20. game — wild animals
  21. scale — in music
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. object — to protest

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