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: calf · tear · suit · fork · cell · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. suit — in cards
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. suit — to fit
  6. fork — in a road
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. suit — clothes
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. court — of a king
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — of law

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