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: bound · net · squash · last · arm · present · bear · court

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. present — a gift
  4. court — for sport
  5. last — to go on
  6. net — after costs
  7. last — final
  8. court — of law
  9. bound — obliged
  10. net — for catching
  11. present — there
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. present — the time now
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. court — of a king
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. last — finally
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bear — the animal

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