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: content · bulb · court · rush · ball · toast · staff · field

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. court — of law
  3. toast — bread
  4. field — farmland
  5. staff — employees
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bulb — for light
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rush — hurry
  11. staff — employees
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. court — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bulb — for light
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. field — for sport
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. court — of a king
  23. content — the amount
  24. ball — a great time

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