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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. fall — the season
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fall — to drop
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. court — for sport
  9. sharp — clever
  10. court — of a king
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — a match
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. court — of law
  16. toast — bread
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. game — wild animals

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