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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. spell — letters
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. spell — a short time
  12. object — to protest
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. court — of law
  15. spell — magic
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. object — a thing
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. object — an aim
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. court — of a king
  24. fan — a supporter

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