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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. field — farmland
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. spring — of water
  6. court — for sport
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. field — for sport
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. spring — the season
  18. field — a subject
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — of a king
  21. lie — to recline
  22. spring — a coil
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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