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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. club — for dancing
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. club — for golf
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. field — a subject
  8. dip — to sink
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. field — farmland
  12. spell — magic
  13. band — a ring
  14. court — for sport
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. band — a music group
  18. spell — letters
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. court — of law
  21. club — a group
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. field — for sport
  24. band — a rubber band

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