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: rush · pitcher · stand · court · shower · arm · season · saw

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rush — hurry
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. court — of a king
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. season — in sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stand — to bear
  22. shower — rain
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. court — of law

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