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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. spell — magic
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spell — a short time
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. ball — a dance
  9. craft — boats
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. land — a country
  12. object — a thing
  13. snap — to click
  14. land — to come down
  15. court — for sport
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. court — of law
  18. land — ground
  19. spell — letters
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. court — of a king
  22. craft — a skill
  23. ball — a great time
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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