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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. key — in music
  4. row — a line
  5. key — for a lock
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. press — to push
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. present — the time now
  15. fall — the season
  16. press — a publisher
  17. court — of law
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. key — the most important part
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. present — a gift
  23. row — to paddle
  24. present — there

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