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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. band — a music group
  3. net — in sport
  4. roll — a cake
  5. field — a subject
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. court — for sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. kick — in football
  10. net — for catching
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. roll — a list
  13. field — for sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. court — of law
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. lie — to recline
  22. field — farmland
  23. band — a ring
  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