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: foot · season · bear · court · snap · object · stock · chair

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. snap — to click
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chair — a leader
  11. court — of a king
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. court — of law
  24. stock — goods

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