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: roll · content · bound · arm · court · last · mine · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bound — certain
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bound — tied together
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. content — the amount
  8. last — finally
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. court — of law
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bound — obliged
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. court — for sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. court — of a king
  21. net — in sport
  22. mine — for digging
  23. roll — a list
  24. net — after costs

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