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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. tube — a container
  3. lean — to bend
  4. net — after costs
  5. court — of law
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bass — the fish
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bass — low music
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lean — thin
  12. net — for catching
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. net — in sport
  19. club — for golf
  20. court — for sport
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. club — a group
  24. mine — an explosive

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