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 124 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. key — the most important part
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. lean — to bend
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. chest — a box
  11. prune — to trim
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lean — thin
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. chest — of your body
  22. key — in music
  23. cap — of ice
  24. court — of a king

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