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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. season — of the year
  4. ball — a dance
  5. court — for sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. mine — for digging
  9. track — to keep track
  10. last — to go on
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. court — of a king
  15. squash — the sport
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. ball — a great time
  18. squash — to crush
  19. last — finally
  20. track — a path
  21. court — of law
  22. last — final
  23. track — a song
  24. stand — to bear

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