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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. content — happy
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. court — of a king
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pound — a weight
  13. snap — to click
  14. court — of law
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. ball — a great time
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. face — to point toward
  23. content — the amount
  24. pass — to spend time

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