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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. date — the fruit
  3. court — for sport
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. content — happy
  9. court — of law
  10. face — to confront
  11. swing — to play on
  12. kid — child
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rush — hurry
  17. court — of a king
  18. swing — music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. face — part of the head
  21. ball — a great time
  22. face — to point toward
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. content — the amount

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