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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. court — for sport
  3. current — happening now
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. current — electric
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — an injury
  10. current — of water
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. court — of a king
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wound — an injury
  19. content — happy
  20. present — the time now
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. court — of law
  23. content — the amount
  24. foot — a measure

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