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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. court — of a king
  3. roll — a cake
  4. season — in sport
  5. last — to go on
  6. court — for sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. mug — a cup
  10. roll — a list
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. hand — help
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mug — a face
  15. last — finally
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. court — of law
  20. current — happening now
  21. last — final
  22. mug — to rob
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. season — of the year

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