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: hand · last · safe · bound · racket · mate · court · rule

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bound — obliged
  6. last — to go on
  7. bound — certain
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. hand — in cards
  10. last — finally
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. court — of law
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mate — a partner
  18. last — final
  19. rule — a law
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rule — government
  22. bound — tied together
  23. hand — help
  24. safe — out of danger

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