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

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. court — of a king
  3. foot — a measure
  4. hand — help
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. court — of law
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. branch — a division
  15. craft — a skill
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. last — to go on
  20. game — wild animals
  21. last — finally
  22. court — for sport
  23. last — final
  24. craft — boats

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