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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. court — of a king
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. court — for sport
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fall — the season
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. club — a group
  13. wake — a trail
  14. court — of law
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. scale — size or range
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fall — to drop
  21. club — for golf
  22. date — the fruit
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. club — for dancing

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