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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rash — a series
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. net — after costs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chest — a box
  15. court — of a king
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. chest — of your body
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. net — for catching
  22. rash — hasty
  23. sharp — clever
  24. court — of law

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