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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. game — a match
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — wild animals
  6. court — for sport
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. court — of law
  9. board — to get on
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. board — a committee
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. band — a music group
  19. pound — a weight
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. board — a flat piece

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