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: racket · court · season · craft · shower · temple · saw · sharp

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. sharp — clever
  5. craft — a skill
  6. court — of a king
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. shower — rain
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. court — of law
  15. shower — to wash
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. craft — boats
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. season — in sport
  24. temple — side of the head

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