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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. court — of law
  4. band — a ring
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. court — for sport
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. ball — a dance
  12. can — a tin
  13. band — a music group
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. court — of a king
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bark — to shout
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. scale — in music
  24. rush — hurry

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