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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · plane · court · ball · chest · pitcher

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ball — a dance
  7. court — for sport
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. chest — of your body
  10. court — of law
  11. chest — a box
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. court — of a king
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ball — a great time

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