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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. court — of law
  3. mug — a cup
  4. net — for catching
  5. season — of the year
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mug — to rob
  9. net — after costs
  10. mug — a face
  11. rule — a law
  12. court — for sport
  13. club — for golf
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mate — to breed
  17. court — of a king
  18. club — a group
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rule — government
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. net — in sport
  24. mate — a friend

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