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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. dip — to sink
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. key — the most important part
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. spell — letters
  10. court — of law
  11. spell — magic
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. court — for sport
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. file — a document
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rush — hurry
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. key — in music
  24. rush — a thrill

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