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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — of a king
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. hand — help
  17. bound — certain
  18. court — of law
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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