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 120 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. court — of a king
  4. vault — a safe
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. hand — help
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wound — an injury
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. court — of law
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — to come from
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mug — to rob
  23. foot — a measure
  24. stem — a stem cell

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