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: chest · suit · content · cue · track · shower · net · court

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. shower — rain
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. court — for sport
  6. cue — a signal
  7. suit — in cards
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — a song
  10. chest — a box
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. track — a path
  13. court — of law
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. content — happy
  17. shower — to wash
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. suit — clothes
  23. court — of a king
  24. track — to keep track

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