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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. court — for sport
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kid — child
  6. craft — boats
  7. court — of law
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. kick — in football
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bass — the fish
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. kid — to tease
  20. court — of a king
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. face — to confront

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