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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. suit — to fit
  3. row — a line
  4. court — for sport
  5. game — a match
  6. suit — in cards
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. swing — in golf
  9. row — to paddle
  10. swing — music
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. court — of law
  13. season — in sport
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. game — wild animals
  16. swing — to play on
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. saw — the tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. saw — the tool
  24. suit — clothes

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