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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kid — child
  5. court — of law
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cell — in biology
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. court — for sport
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — a phone
  15. kid — to tease
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. drill — army training
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. wind — moving air
  23. club — for dancing
  24. court — of a king

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