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: bay · chest · content · cabinet · track · date · court · sharp

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. content — happy
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — to keep track
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chest — a box
  12. track — a path
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. track — a song
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chest — of your body
  18. date — the fruit
  19. content — the amount
  20. court — of a king
  21. chest — of your body
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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