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: wind · snap · hand · pitch · court · mouse · toast · content

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. content — happy
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. hand — help
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. content — the amount
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitch — completely
  18. toast — bread
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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