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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. land — to come down
  3. face — to point toward
  4. court — of law
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chest — of your body
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. land — ground
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. chest — of your body
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. land — a country
  15. tube — a container
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wax — to grow
  19. face — to confront
  20. can — a tin
  21. court — for sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. chest — a box
  24. tube — in a tire

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