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 120 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. ball — a dance
  4. tube — a container
  5. ball — a great time
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. current — happening now
  11. court — for sport
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. current — electric
  17. kick — in football
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. tube — the underground
  20. current — of water
  21. rush — hurry
  22. row — a line
  23. court — of law
  24. row — to paddle

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