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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. hand — help
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lean — thin
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rush — hurry
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. court — of law
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. hand — in cards
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bark — to shout
  22. ground — a position
  23. court — of a king
  24. rush — a thrill

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