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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. net — for catching
  2. court — for sport
  3. ball — a dance
  4. net — in sport
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — of law
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. staff — employees
  20. tear — to rip
  21. net — after costs
  22. lie — to recline
  23. degree — an amount
  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