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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. court — for sport
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hand — in cards
  6. court — of law
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. craft — a skill
  9. tear — to rip
  10. last — to go on
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rest — what's left
  13. season — in sport
  14. cue — a hint
  15. tear — from crying
  16. season — of the year
  17. cue — for pool
  18. court — of a king
  19. hand — help
  20. rest — what's left
  21. last — finally
  22. rest — a break
  23. last — final
  24. season — to add flavour

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