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: press · ball · can · pit · court · season · content · chip

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. season — of the year
  3. ball — a great time
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — in sport
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pit — in a race
  10. press — a publisher
  11. court — of law
  12. chip — for betting
  13. court — for sport
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. content — happy
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. chip — to eat
  18. press — to push
  19. court — of a king
  20. press — newspapers
  21. can — a tin
  22. content — the amount
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. chip — in a computer

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