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: bore · kick · court · net · prune · season · mate · race

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. net — after costs
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. prune — to trim
  8. net — in sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. race — a contest
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. mate — a partner
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. season — in sport
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. season — of the year
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. bore — to drill
  23. kick — in football
  24. season — to add flavour

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