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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. court — of a king
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ground — a position
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. squash — the sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. season — of the year
  13. fine — high quality
  14. season — in sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ground — the earth
  18. chest — a box
  19. squash — to crush
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fine — all right
  22. date — the fruit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. date — on the calendar

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