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: nail · court · game · safe · ball · rash · content · perch

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. content — happy
  3. game — a match
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rash — a series
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rash — hasty
  11. ball — a great time
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. court — of law
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — the amount
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. court — of a king
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. perch — the fish
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. perch — for a bird

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