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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. court — of a king
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bulb — for light
  6. deal — to handle
  7. content — happy
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. roll — a list
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. lie — to recline
  18. content — the amount
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. court — of law
  21. cell — in biology
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cell — a phone

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