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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rash — a series
  3. content — happy
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. net — for catching
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. content — the amount
  10. court — of a king
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. court — for sport
  13. board — to get on
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. net — in sport
  16. rash — hasty
  17. net — after costs
  18. court — of law
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. deal — to handle
  22. board — a committee
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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