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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. spell — magic
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spell — letters
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. degree — from a university
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. court — for sport
  12. degree — temperature
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. court — of a king
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. spell — a short time

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