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 124 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. roll — a cake
  3. land — a country
  4. court — of a king
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. land — ground
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. vault — a safe
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. roll — a list
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. court — for sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. court — of law
  19. can — to be able to
  20. cell — in biology
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cell — a phone
  23. can — a tin
  24. land — to come down

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