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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. court — for sport
  4. hand — help
  5. suit — to fit
  6. plane — a tool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. court — of a king
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. suit — in cards
  23. branch — a division
  24. suit — clothes

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