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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. court — of law
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lie — to recline
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. court — for sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. court — of a king
  20. mine — for digging
  21. degree — temperature
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cap — a hat

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