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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. court — of law
  3. rest — what's left
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. court — of a king
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. snap — to click
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cell — a phone
  11. season — of the year
  12. rest — a break
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. court — for sport
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. season — in sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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