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: mark · cold · arm · court · mouse · mate · net · spring

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mate — a partner
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. court — for sport
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mate — to breed
  11. court — of law
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. court — of a king
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cold — not warm
  17. spring — the season
  18. mark — a trace
  19. net — after costs
  20. cold — an illness
  21. net — for catching
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spring — of water

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