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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. court — for sport
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. snap — to click
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. court — of law
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. court — of a king
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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