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: spell · net · toast · march · content · ball · lash · court

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. spell — a short time
  4. content — happy
  5. court — for sport
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. march — music
  9. content — the amount
  10. ball — a great time
  11. spell — letters
  12. net — after costs
  13. court — of a king
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. net — for catching
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. court — of law
  21. toast — bread
  22. spell — magic
  23. net — in sport
  24. content — videos and posts

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