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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. last — final
  5. press — newspapers
  6. content — the amount
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. court — for sport
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pound — a weight
  15. content — happy
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. press — to push
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. bass — the fish
  22. court — of law
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. nail — on a finger

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