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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. court — of law
  4. pit — a hole
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. season — in sport
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chest — of your body
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chest — a box
  15. season — of the year
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. court — for sport
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. court — of a king
  24. bear — the animal

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