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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. lean — thin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. suit — to fit
  5. charge — electricity
  6. chest — of your body
  7. charge — a price
  8. suit — in cards
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. court — of a king
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. charge — in control
  15. cell — a phone
  16. staff — employees
  17. chest — a box
  18. suit — clothes
  19. staff — employees
  20. court — for sport
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spring — a coil
  23. staff — a stick
  24. lean — to bend

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