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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. content — the amount
  3. fine — high quality
  4. deal — to handle
  5. last — final
  6. swing — to play on
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. swing — in golf
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stem — to come from
  12. court — of law
  13. last — to go on
  14. content — happy
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. court — of a king
  18. swing — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. last — finally
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. stem — of a plant

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