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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. chip — to eat
  8. file — a tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. court — for sport
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rash — hasty
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. file — a document
  17. dip — to sink
  18. file — a line of people
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. court — of law
  21. rash — a series
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chip — for betting

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