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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. rock — a stone
  3. court — of law
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. court — of a king
  6. spell — magic
  7. rock — music
  8. shower — to wash
  9. season — of the year
  10. court — for sport
  11. last — finally
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spell — letters
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. season — in sport
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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