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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — clever
  5. court — for sport
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. season — in sport
  8. rush — hurry
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — there
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rule — a law
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. present — a gift
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rule — government
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. court — of a king
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. court — of law
  23. present — the time now
  24. rush — to hurry

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