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 116 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pop — music
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fork — in a road
  12. court — for sport
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. pop — to visit
  15. land — to come down
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spell — a short time
  19. court — of law
  20. land — a country
  21. cell — in biology
  22. land — ground
  23. court — of a king
  24. pop — soda

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