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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rash — hasty
  3. current — of water
  4. rash — a series
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. court — of law
  7. root — of a plant
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bear — the animal
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. root — of a word
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. root — the cause
  14. current — electric
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. swing — music
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. swing — to play on
  20. court — of a king
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. current — happening now
  24. sharp — clever

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