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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. staff — employees
  3. scale — size or range
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. scale — in music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rash — a series
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fine — all right
  19. wound — an injury
  20. court — of law
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. court — of a king

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