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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spell — a short time
  8. content — the amount
  9. snap — to click
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. content — happy
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. spell — magic
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. court — of law
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. spell — letters
  24. bass — low music

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