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

Word bank: court · dip · clip · staff · last · key · saw · toast

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. staff — a stick
  5. last — finally
  6. toast — bread
  7. court — of law
  8. dip — to sink
  9. staff — employees
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. last — to go on
  13. staff — employees
  14. key — for a lock
  15. court — for sport
  16. key — in music
  17. last — final
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. clip — for paper
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. key — the most important part
  22. clip — a video
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — to cut

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