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: court · net · content · scale · sharp · row · kid · firm

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. row — a line
  3. firm — steady
  4. net — for catching
  5. court — of law
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. firm — a company
  8. kid — child
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. scale — size or range
  11. net — in sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. scale — in music
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. firm — decided
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. row — to paddle
  19. court — of a king
  20. net — after costs
  21. content — happy
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. kid — to tease
  24. court — for sport

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