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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. court — of a king
  4. cell — in biology
  5. spring — of water
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ball — a dance
  8. stem — to come from
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cell — a phone
  12. snap — to click
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ball — a great time
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rash — a series
  21. season — of the year
  22. court — of law
  23. spring — the season
  24. season — in sport

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