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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bound — certain
  5. court — of law
  6. pit — in a race
  7. shower — to wash
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bound — obliged
  14. court — for sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. staff — a stick
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. staff — employees
  20. bound — tied together
  21. court — of a king
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. scale — in music
  24. shower — rain

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