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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mate — to breed
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. season — in sport
  6. court — for sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. court — of law
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bank — for money
  15. rash — hasty
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. court — of a king
  18. season — of the year
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bark — of a tree

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