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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hand — in cards
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. scale — in music
  11. court — for sport
  12. scale — size or range
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hand — help
  15. court — of a king
  16. ball — a great time
  17. court — of law
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a line
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. ball — a dance

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