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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. season — of the year
  11. band — a music group
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. court — for sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. band — a ring
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. court — of law
  22. mate — to breed
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. season — in sport

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