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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. clip — a video
  6. cue — for pool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lean — to bend
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — of law
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cue — a signal
  20. lean — thin
  21. clip — to cut
  22. court — of a king
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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