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: plane · bear · arm · court · racket · pop · bark · game

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pop — to visit
  7. game — wild animals
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bear — the animal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pop — music
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bark — to shout
  16. court — for sport
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. game — a match
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pop — soda
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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