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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mate — a partner
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. court — of law
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bat — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. game — a match
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wind — moving air
  24. arm — part of the body

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