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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. hand — in cards
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. court — of law
  5. row — to paddle
  6. fine — high quality
  7. row — a line
  8. mark — a trace
  9. rush — hurry
  10. court — of a king
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. content — the amount
  14. fine — all right
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hand — help
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. court — for sport
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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