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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. swing — music
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — to come down
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wax — to grow
  12. key — in music
  13. staff — employees
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. content — happy
  16. key — for a lock
  17. staff — a stick
  18. ball — a great time
  19. content — the amount
  20. key — the most important part
  21. object — an aim
  22. swing — to play on
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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