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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — in sport
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. season — of the year
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. court — of a king
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hand — help
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. court — for sport

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