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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rock — a stone
  6. court — of a king
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. kick — in football
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. land — a country
  22. rock — music
  23. court — of law
  24. vault — a safe

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