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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. spring — the season
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spring — a coil
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. hand — help
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bore — to drill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. spring — of water
  18. court — of law
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. craft — boats
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rest — a break
  24. craft — a skill

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