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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. mug — a face
  5. ball — a great time
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mug — to rob
  10. ground — crushed
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. season — in sport
  15. mug — a cup
  16. court — of law
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ground — a position

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