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 116 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 · rule · shower · suit · chip · pound · racket · tear

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rule — a law
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rule — government
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. tear — from crying
  9. court — of a king
  10. suit — clothes
  11. court — of law
  12. suit — in cards
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. tear — from crying
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. chip — for betting
  21. suit — to fit
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. chip — to eat
  24. racket — for tennis

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