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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mug — a face
  5. spring — of water
  6. net — after costs
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. court — for sport
  11. key — for a lock
  12. court — of law
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. key — in music
  16. net — in sport
  17. mug — to rob
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mug — a cup
  23. drill — army training
  24. net — for catching

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