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: swing · cue · mark · bay · bat · court · stick · fork

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cue — for pool
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. swing — to play on
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. swing — music
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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