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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. court — for sport
  4. board — to get on
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bass — low music
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spring — the season
  17. board — a committee
  18. court — of law
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. press — to push
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. kick — in football
  24. bass — the fish

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