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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. fall — the season
  3. shower — rain
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. ground — a position
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wax — to grow
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rock — music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. court — of a king
  17. content — happy
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wax — for sculpting

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