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: rash · cap · bark · court · date · bat · land · suit

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. court — of a king
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. land — ground
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. land — to come down
  12. court — for sport
  13. suit — in cards
  14. land — a country
  15. suit — to fit
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bat — the animal
  20. court — of law
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. suit — clothes

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