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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. staff — employees
  3. court — of law
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. spell — letters
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. spell — magic
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. court — for sport
  12. game — wild animals
  13. can — to be able to
  14. game — a match
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cell — a phone
  17. can — a tin
  18. court — of a king
  19. cell — in biology
  20. staff — a stick
  21. key — the most important part
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chair — to sit on

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