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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · court · pitcher · stem · date · bank

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stem — to come from
  5. court — of a king
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bank — of a river
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — of law
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. bank — for money
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bank — for money

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