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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bass — low music
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. bass — the fish
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. kid — child
  17. spell — magic
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. spell — letters
  22. court — of law
  23. staff — a stick
  24. court — for sport

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