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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — employees
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. staff — a stick
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. roll — a list
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. staff — employees
  24. dip — to sink

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