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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. can — a tin
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — a safe
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. date — the fruit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — to be able to
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kick — in football
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. court — of law

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