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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. court — of a king
  3. spring — a coil
  4. cell — a phone
  5. shower — rain
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pop — soda
  11. mug — a cup
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pop — to visit
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. shower — to wash
  20. court — of law
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. mug — a face
  23. court — for sport
  24. cell — in biology

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