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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. shower — to wash
  4. court — of a king
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wax — to grow
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. court — of law
  9. land — a country
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. chest — of your body
  15. court — for sport
  16. game — a match
  17. shower — rain
  18. land — ground
  19. game — wild animals
  20. land — to come down
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. chest — a box
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bowl — to roll

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