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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. court — for sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. row — a line
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. spring — the season
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. object — to protest
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. court — of law
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. object — an aim
  22. season — of the year
  23. object — a thing
  24. court — of a king

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