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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bat — the animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. court — of a king
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. fine — all right
  12. field — farmland
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. court — for sport
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. field — a subject
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. fine — high quality
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. degree — temperature
  23. field — for sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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