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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. hand — help
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. net — for catching
  13. branch — a division
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. stand — to bear
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. net — in sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. hand — in cards
  21. net — after costs
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fan — a supporter

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