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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bulb — for light
  5. face — to confront
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. court — for sport
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. field — for sport
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ball — a dance
  14. field — a subject
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. field — farmland
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ball — a great time
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. straw — dry grass

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