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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chest — of your body
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hand — in cards
  6. swing — to play on
  7. chest — of your body
  8. court — of a king
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. swing — music
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. court — for sport
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. foot — a measure
  17. hand — help
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. swing — in golf
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chest — a box
  23. fork — in a road
  24. court — of law

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