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: season · rash · content · object · spell · fan · court · bark

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. court — of law
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — an aim
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. court — for sport
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. rash — hasty
  17. season — of the year
  18. object — a thing
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spell — magic
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. court — of a king
  24. bark — of a tree

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