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: ground · swing · court · coach · kid · nail · net · pop

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pop — soda
  3. kid — child
  4. court — of law
  5. ground — crushed
  6. swing — in golf
  7. kid — to tease
  8. net — in sport
  9. swing — music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. net — after costs
  12. pop — music
  13. net — for catching
  14. pop — to visit
  15. court — of a king
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ground — a position
  18. swing — to play on
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. court — for sport

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